UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


J*     K 


19004    4 


THE 


PRINT    COLLECTOR 

AN  INTRODUCTION    TO    THE   KNOWLEDGE 

NECESSARY    FOR    FORMING 

A    COLLECTION    OF    ANCIENT     PRINTS 
BY  J.  MABERLY. 

WITH  AN  APPENDIX  CONTAINING 

FIELDING'S  TREATISE  ON  THE  PRACTICE  OF  ENGRAVING. 


WITH   NOTES,    AN   ACCOUNT   OF 

ETCHING   AND   ETCHERS, 

AND  A  BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  ENGRAVING, 
BY 

ROBERT   HOE,  JR. 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  &   COMPANY 

1880. 


Copyright,  1879,  by 
DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY. 


3  2  3  0 


Art 

Library 

HE 
S<50 

Mlln 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

VENUS  AND  CUPID,  BY  MARC  ANTONIO  RAIMONDI.     Facsimile  in  Heliogravure, 

by  Durand,  of  Paris, frontispiece. 

PACK 
MARKS  AND  MONOGRAMS.     Three  Plates 5 

Two  ORIGINAL  WOOD  BLOCKS,  BY  THOMAS  BEWICK— one  a  pastoral  scene,  the 

other  a  subject  from  Sommerville's  Poem  of  "The  Chase,"      ...       38 

MARY  BY  THE  WALL,  BY  DURER.     Facsimile  in  Heliogravure,  by  Durand,  of 

Paris,       .. 132 

ETCHING,  AFTER  GEORGE  CRUIKSHANK  ;   FAIRIES  INSPECTING  AN  AMATEUR'S 

COLLECTION, 200 

TOOLS  USED  IN  ENGRAVING  AND  ETCHING, 204 

ETCHING  OF  A  BLUE  AND  WHITE  OLD  CHINESE  PORCELAIN  VASE — CALLED 

THE  HAWTHORNE  PATTERN.     By  J.  F.  SABIN,       • 260 

VIEW  CN  THE  THAMES.     Etching  by  J.  F.  SABIN, 286 


CONTENTS. 


PACK 

INTRODUCTION  TO  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  EDITION..  i 


CHAPTER   I. 

Of  collecting  in  general,  and  of  print-collecting  in  particular — Proper  motive 
for  collecting — Circumstances  operating  to  influence  choice  of  department — 
Advantages  of  print-collecting,  as  compared  with  other  subjects,  such  as  pic- 
tures, statues,  coins  and  medals,  gems,  drawings — And  this  with  reference  to 
the  several  points  of  expense,  space,  preservation,  portability,  ascertainment 
of  quality  and  of  genuineness,  price,  pleasure  derivable  and  communicable — 
Copy  of  picture  substituted  for  original — Deception  practised  by  Michael 
Angelo — Paduan  coins — Mr.  Payne  Knight  and  Pistrucci — Deceptions  in 
prints  always  detectable — Hudson  and  Benjamin  Wilson — Universal  popu- 
larity of  prints,  and  its  causes — Frequent  unpleasant  results  of  this — For- 
bearance towards  ignorance — Fall  of  Phaeton— Incredulity  towards  antiqua- 
ries— Coffin  and  hair  of  Edward  IV. — Pleasure  of  antiquarian  pursuits — Em- 
peror Maximilian  and  Albert  Durer — The  St.  Eustachius 7 

CHAPTER   II. 

On  classification  of  prints — Proper  meaning  oT  term  "  engraving" — Term  "  print" 
defined — Engraving  on  wood — Metal — Modes  of  working — Burin — Etching 
— Dry  point  —  Mezzotinto  —  Dotting— Stippling — Aquatinta — Lithography — 
Painters'  etchings — Schools — Engravers  after  their  own  designs— Chronology 
— The  art  not  regularly  progressive — Meaning  of  the  term  "invention  of 
engraving" — Classification  of  artists'  works  among  themselves — By  dates — 
By  subjects — Frequency  of  same  subject — Madonna  and  Child — Extent  or 
limit  of  collection 19 


vi  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   III. 

PACK 

On  the  selection  of  specimens — Early  impression — Good  impression — Retouch- 
ing— Cross-hatching — Proof  impression — Muller  and  Rittner — Deceptive 
practices — States — Monograms — Address — Burr — Wood-blocks,  number  of 
impressions  from — Papillon — Judgment  of  impression — Van  Leyden— Mur- 
der of  the  Innocents,  by  Marc  Antonio — Rolling-press — Shake — Double 
printing — Impurities  in  paper — Hair — Air  bladder — India  paper — Condition 
— Margin — False  margin — Soils — "Fond  Sale" — Laying  down — Cleaning — 
Repairing  —  Washing  —  Copies — Bartsch — Peintre-Graveu  r — Counterproof — 
Copy  of  Rembrandt's  Mill 32 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Of  prices  of  prints — Deficiency  of  data — Prices  not  governed  by  intrinsic  excel- 
lence— Fancy  of  the  day — Hollar — Rembrandt — Symptoms  of  improvement 
in  public  taste— Printsellers — Priced  catalogues — Their  limited  utility — Pro- 
prietors' marks — Auction — Commission — Scarcity  of  choice  ancient  prints — 
Country  order — Exchanging — Illustrated  books — British  portraits — Anec- 
dotes of  auction-room — Highest  price  at  auction — Impression  of  niello,  by 
Finiguerra — Zani's  discovery  of  one — Progress  in  value  of  important  prints — 
Instanced  in  the  Hundred  Guilder  and  other  prints — Unfinished  impression 
— Deficient  part  drawn  in — Price  of  prints  in  the  time  of  ancient  artists — 
Follies — Rembrandt's  Little  Dog — National  repositories — Records  of  pro- 
prietorship— Embezzlement — Proprietors'  marks 51 

CHAPTER  V. 

Of  the  extent  or  limit  of  a  collection — Artists'  whole  works — Free  subjects — 
Rarity — Unique — Presque  unique — Variations  forming  states — Sample  of  in 
Rembrandt — Carried  to  an  extreme — Imaginary  variation — Sale  catalogues — 
Ridiculous  errors  in — Line  to  draw — Gold-weigher — White  face — Collection 
of  states 91 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Of  the  care  and  keeping  of  prints — Mounting — Edging — Cornering  and  other 
protections — Bound  folios — Solanders — Portfolios — Frame  and  glass — Speci- 
mens exposee  at  the  Bibliotheque  Royal — Suggestion  to  British  Museum — 
Handling — Exhibiting — Light — Cleaning  prints 104 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTER  VII. 

PACK 

On  the  mode  of  commencing  collector — Extent  of  expense — Chronology — Sub- 
jects— Different  manners  and  processes — Skeleton  of  collection — Books — 
Dictionaries  of  Strutt  and  Bryan — Heinecken's  Idee  generale — Schools — 
Gilpin  on  prints — Misjudgment  and  want  of  taste — Formation  of  list  of 
important  artists — Italian  school — Its  character — Notice  of  the  chief  engrav- 
ers of  this  school — Era  of  separation  between  ancient  and  modern  schools — 
Wood  engravings — Chiaroscuro — Nielli — Invention  of  copper-plate  engraving 
— The  German  school — Block  printing — Stereotype — Characteristics  of  the 
early  German  school — Notices  of  the  principal  engravers  of  this  school — 
Flemish  and  Dutch  school — Notices  of  the  principal  engravers  in  it — French 
school — Notices  of  its  principal  engravers — Same  in  English  school — Extent 
of  cost  of  collection — General  advice IJ.6- 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  old  and  new  systems — Probability  of  ancient  prints  maintaining  their  value 
— Their  intrinsic  excellence — Scarcity — National  collections — Security  against 
rivalry — Advance  in  the  art — Competency  of  modern  engravers — Ancient  and 
modern  systems  contrasted — Landseer's  lectures — Alderman  Boydell — Print 
publishers — Modern  system  of  producing  a  plate — Assistance — Drawing — 
Proofs — Retouching — False  proofs — Reputation — Lucas  van  Leyden — An- 
cient system  detailed — Expense  of  getting  up  a  publication — Copyright  of 
painter — Projects  for  encouragement  of  art — Alliance  of  art  with  commercial 
speculation — Hopelessness  of  remedy 149 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Of  books  on  engraving — Deceptive  titles — Tracts  embodied  in  larger  works — 
Books  treating  on  engraving  incidentally  only — Earliest  sale  catalogues — 
Catalogue  of  the  Rigal  collection — Lithography — Electro-tint  —  Names  of 
some  books  treating  exclusively  on  prints  and  engraving i65 


CATALOGITES  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  INDIVIDUAL  ENT.RAVF.RS 19* 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 


APPENDIX. 

PAGE 

Treating  of  the  practice  of  the  art  of  engraving,  with  the  various  modes  of  opera- 
tion, under  the  following  different  divisions,  viz.  .  Etching,  Soft-ground  Etch- 
ing, Line  Engraving,  Aquatint,  Mezzotint,  Chalk  and  Stipple,  Wood  Engrav- 
ing, and  Lithography 201 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING — The  French  school — Charles  M6ryon 
— List  of  Meryon's  works,  with  prices — Charles  Francois  Daubigny — List  of 
a  portion  of  his  works,  with  prices — J.  F.  Millet — List  of  his  works — Charles 
Jacque  —  Bracquemond  —  Corot  —  Jacquemart — Appian — Henri  Leys — The 
English  School — Francis  Seymour  Haden — List  of  some  of  his  works,  with 
prices — J.  M.  W.  Turner — List  of  some  etchings  by  him,  with  prices  realized 
— Spanish  Artist  :  Goya — Fortuny — American  Etchers — Whistler 259 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS  ON  COPPER  AND  ETCHINGS 287 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  WOOD  ENGRAVINGS 293 


TABLE  OF  THE  WHOLE  ETCHED  WORKS  OF  REMBRANDT 297 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 311 


INTRODUCTION 

TO  THE 

FIRST  AMERICAN    EDITION. 


THE  study  of  art  needs  no  apology.  Man  may  sometimes 
acquire  too  much  power,  or  too  much  money,  for  his  own  advan- 
tage or  for  the  good  of  his  fellow-men,  but  true  art  is  like  true 
religion — the  more  it  is  cultivated  the  richer  are  the  heart  and  mind 
of  its  possessor.  Should  it  not  beget  wisdom,  it  will  increase 
knowledge ;  and  these,  if  not  twin  brothers,  are  very  closely 
related. 

There  are  good  and  bad  systems  of  religion,  as  there  are  true 
and  false  forms  of  art,  and  a  consideration  of  this  analogy  might  be 
followed  up  with  profit,  to  the  edification  of  some  people,  and  to 
the  incredulity  and  disapprobation  of  others. 

In  this  new  country,  where  for  the  last  one  hundred  years 
utility  has  been  the  predominant  idea,  I  have  often  wondered  why 
the  poetic  mind  of  the  age  has  not  created  a  goddess  of  Utility,  to 
whom  we  might  render  homage  similar  to  that  paid  in  the  olden 
time  at  the  shrines  of  the  goddesses  of  Wisdom,  Beauty,  and  Riches. 

We  know  that  art  in  its  highest  forms  is  capable  of  inspiring  the 
purest  of  religious  sentiment,  but  this  is  only  a  portion  of  what  it  has 
done  for  the  world  in  the  past,  and  is  capable  of  doing  for  us 
now.  In  all  real  art  there  is  something  which  the  lowliest  person 
may  partake  of  and  enjoy  ;  just  as  art  may  be  found,  and  does  exist, 
in  the  lowliest  and  simplest  forms  and  detail. 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

To  many  minds  works  which  do  not  lead  to  some  lofty  flight  of 
imagination,  or  appeal  to  the  highest  moral  intelligence,  are  not 
works  of  art,  and  such  persons  know  of  no  medium  between  this 
and  the  dead  level  of  mere  utility.  Again,  there  are  those  who 
think  there  is  no  art  unless  it  be  found  allied  to  beauty.  To  them 
beauty,  pure  and  simple,  is  art.  The  truth  is  that  both  imagination 
and  beauty  are  elements  of  art,  but  what  I  maintain  is  that  art — 
pure  and  true  art — is  found  in  works  which  may  include  neither  the 
one  nor  the  other  of  these  attributes.  The  art  of  engraving  is  one 
in  which  they  are  seldom  found  united.  In  fact,  many  of  the  best 
prints  are  perhaps  remarkable  more  for  technical  skill  and  clever- 
ness than  for  ideality  or  beauty.  This  may  be  said  of  much  of 
Durer's  work,  but  the  more  we  study  it,  the  more  we  become  con- 
vinced of  the  presence  in  his  etchings  of  the  mind  and  hand  of  a 
great  master. 

A  just  appreciation  of  art,  in  its  most  comprehensive  significa- 
tion, or  even  in  special  departments,  is  not  given  to  every  one  ; 
much  less  .do  those  possessing  this  appreciation  recognize  it  in  the 

same  forms.  A  great  deal  of  this  diversity  is  owing  to  circum- 
scribed knowledge,  or  to  a  lack  of  cultivation,  as  well  as  to  the 
varied  constitution  of  men's  minds. 

The  object  of  Mr.  Maberly's  little  book  upon  prints,  a  new 
edition  of  which  now  seems  to  be  called  for,  was  not  only  to 
record  the  pleasure  he  had  derived  from  the  study  and  collection 
of  etchings  and  engravings,  but  to  communicate  such  knowledge 
to  others,  as  might  lead  an  appreciative  reader  through  the  same 
pleasant  paths  of  art  he  himself  had  trodden.  Although  many  more 
complete  and  elaborate  books  have  since  been  written  upon  this 
subject,  there  are  none  which  treat  of  it  in  so  genial,  concise,  and 
acceptable  a  manner.  It  has  therefore  been  thought  desirable  to 
reprint  it  in  its  integrity,  adding  only  such  notes  as  may  make  it 
more  useful  to  the  American  reader.  The  original  English  edition 
has  become  very  scarce,  and  consequently  unduly  expensive. 


INTRODUCTION.  3 

The  republication  of  this  volume  ten  years  ago  would  have 
proved  a  poor  investment  for  the  bookseller  on  this  side  of  the  At- 
lantic, and  it  would  probably  have  remained  unsold  in  his  ware- 
room  ;  but  there  is,  at  the  present  time,  so  great  a  demand  in  the 
United  States  for  trustworthy  information  upon  this  and  kindred 
subjects,  that  it  will  no  doubt  be  warmly  welcomed. 

There  are  now  in  our  principal  cities  importers  of  and  dealers 
in  prints,  in  whose  shops  examples  of  the  best  etchings  and  en- 
gravings, both  ancient  and  modern,  may  be  had  and  examined,  so 
that  students  and  collectors  need  not  go  abroad  to  obtain  what 
they  may  be  tempted  by  this  book  to  possess. 

I  desire  to  add  a  few  words  in  conclusion  upon  the  subject  of 
collecting  prints,  although  what  I  have  to  say  may  be  found  in  a 
different  form  in  Maberly's  work,  and  is  already  known  to  many  of 
its  readers. 

There  are  few  productions  of  art  in  which  one  is  more  likely  to 
be  deceived  than  in  prints.  There  are  so  many  copies,  so  many 
retouched  plates,  some  of  which  have  been  handed  down  for  two  or 
three  hundred  years,  such  as  Rembrandt's  and  Van  Ostade's  copper- 
plates, for  example,  that  a  great  deal  of  skill  and  judgment  is 
requisite  to  detect  the  late  impressions  taken  from  them.  The 
faculty  to  be  developed  in  the  collector  is  of  so  subtle  a  nature  as 
to  be  defined  with  difficulty.  The  foundation  lies  in  an  accurate 
technical  knowledge,  the  acquirement  of  which  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  an  amateur,  and  there  are  very  few  writers  upon  this  subject 
who  impart  the  desired  information  with  sufficient  clearness. 

One  of  the  best  works  in  English  is  a  small  volume  by  T.  H. 
Fielding,  entitled  "  The  Art  of  Engraving,  with  the  Various  Modes 
of  Operation,"  published  in  London  in  1844. 

In  the  preface  the  author  says  that  his  treatise  has  been  "  ar- 
ranged with  a  view  of  serving  the  professor  as  well  as  the  amateur." 
It  is  in  the  form  of  an  instruction  book.  Each  branch  of  the  arts  of 
etching  and  engraving  is  taken  up  separately.  The  reader  is  told 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

what  tools  and  materials  to  select,  and  how  to  use  them  to  accom- 
plish the  results  to  be  obtained,  thus  giving,  in  perhaps  the  clearest 
form  possible,  a  theoretical  and  practical  knowledge.  Fielding's 
book  in  the  original  edition  is  scarce,  and  seldom  occurs  for  sale. 
The  major  part  of  it  is  incorporated  in  the  form  of  an  appendix 
to  the  present  volume.  It  would  be  difficult,  in  the  small  space 
available,  to  give  the  desired  information  in  a  more  satisfactory 
manner.  If  any  apology  is  necessary  for  reprinting  rather  than 
rewriting  this  department  of  the  subject,  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  object  of  the  present  volume  is  simply  to  give  to 
the  amateur  the  information  he  seeks,  not  so  much  in  a  new  as  in  a 
more  accessible  form. 

To  a  technical  knowledge  of  the  arts  of  etching  and  engraving 
the  amateur  should  unite  special  powers  of  discrimination.  With 
some  persons  the  latter  seem  almost  intuitive,  but  proficiency  is,  in 
all  cases,  the  result  of  close  observation  and  experience.  Both 
mind  and  eye  must  be  trained,  not  only  by  precept  but  by 
practice.  The  judgment  employed  in  determining  the  artistic 
status  of  a  work,  whether  it  be  an  engraving,  or  any  other  object  of 
art,  is  not  based  upon  qualities  which  may  be  calculated  or  measured 
by  fixed  rules,  but  upon  that  subtle  perception  which  either  accepts 
or  rejects  it  as  an  original  work  by  the  master's  hand.  This  is,  of 
course,  the  power  every  collector  should  strive  to  acquire. 

No  book,  no  matter  how  well  it  may  be  written,  will  give  to 
the  student  and  collector  the  knowledge  he  must  derive  only  from 
the  actual  inspection  and  study  of  the  prints  themselves. 

I  once  overheard  a  lady  in  a  French  print  shop,  after  listening 
to  discussions  upon  the  questions  of  originality  and  priority  of  im- 
pressions of  various  etchings,  ask  the  proprietor  to  give  her  some 
rules  or  instructions  by  which  she  could  know  genuine  works  from 
copies,  and  the  good  from  the  inferior  impressions.  After  a  mo- 
ment's pause,  and  a  characteristic  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  the  reply 
was,  "  Madam,  I  am  very  sorry,  but  it  is  impossible  ;  I  do  not  know 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

how  to  do  it."  The  only  way  for  that  lady  to  obtain  the  power 
she  coveted  was  first  to  gain  some  knowledge  of  the  theory  of 
etching  and  engraving,  and  follow  it  by  a  careful  comparative  study 
of  examples  of  the  different  masters,  aided  always  by  such  good 
counsels  as  are  available.  If  the  love  of  the  subject  be  in  her,  the 
light  of  discrimination  will  dawn  at  last,  and  may  be  cultivated  to 
any  extent.  It  is  true,  as  before  intimated,  that  there  are  persons 
to  whom  this  power  never  comes  ;  perhaps  for  the  same  reason 
that  some  people,  although  earnestly  laboring  to  succeed,  never 
can  be  clear  on  the  question  of  colors,  or  others  distinguish  one 
tune  from  another  in  music.  However,  all  may  gather  prints 
through  the  aid  of  friends  or  experts,  but  the  true  pleasure  of  col- 
lecting will  be  wanting,  for  it  arises  from  the  personal  exercise  of 
those  discriminating  faculties  referred  to,  followed  naturally  by  a 
proportionate  appreciation  and  enjoyment  of  the  specimens  so 
gathered  together. 

At  the  end  of  this  edition  will  be  found  a  short  account  of  some 
of  the  principal  etchers  and  engravers  who  have  risen  to  eminence 
since  Mr.  Maberly's  book  was  written,  also  several  tabular  lists  of 
the  works  of  the  principal  artists  of  the  past,  with  references  to  the 
descriptions  of  them  given  in  the  catalogues  raisonnts  of  Adam 
Bartsch,  Wilson,  Blanc  and  others. 

An  effort  has  been  made  by  the  publishers  to  render  this 
new  edition,  in  form  and  typographical  excellence,  acceptable  to 
American  amateurs,  to  whom  the  book  is  heartily  commended, 
and  also  inscribed,  by 

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CHAPTER   I. 

OF  COLLECTING  IN  GENERAL,    AND  OF  PRINT-COLLECTING  IN 

PARTICULAR. 

THERE  is  a  strong  and  very  general  propensity  in  human 
nature  to  be  perpetually  acquiring  and  appropriating.  This  inclina- 
tion is  frequently  found  to  be  in  active  operation,  though  with  no 
other  object  than  the  temporary  pleasure  derived  from  its  indul- 
gence. When  the  gratification  ceases  here,  and  has  no  better 
ground  than  the  vanity  of  possessing  that  which  another  has  not, 
and  when  no  satisfaction  is  looked  for  from  subsequent  enjoyment 
of  the  article  acquired,  the  pursuit  degenerates  into  an  irrational 
craving,  is  no  better  than  the  yearning  of  a  child  for  a  new  toy, 
and  very  deservedly  becomes  obnoxious  to  that  ridicule  which  the 
vulgar  are  too  apt  to  attach,  in  general,  to  the  profession  of  an  an- 
tiquary or  collector.  But  when  a  higher  and  more  worthy  purpose 
is  held  in  view  ;  when  the  acquisition  is  made  with  reference  to  a 
permanent  real  pleasure  to  be  thereafter  derived  from  the  enjoy- 


8  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

ment  of  its  object,  on  account  of  its  intrinsic  beauty  or  use,  then  is 
the  collecting  of  works  of  nature  or  of  art,  in  any  of  their  various 
departments,  a  most  pleasurable  and  rational  pursuit. 

In  deciding  upon  a  department  in  which  to  form  a  collection, 
every  man  follows  his  own  taste  ;  but  there  are  circumstances  which 
must,  in  general  cases,  more  or  less  control  this.  It  is  fortunate, 
therefore,  when  the  taste  happens  to  tend  towards  a  class  which 
has  more  of  these  in  its  favor,  and  fewer  opposed  to  it  ;  and  a 
man  whose  taste  is  general,  and  not  already  pre-engaged,  will  nat- 
urally be  led  to  commence  with  a  consideration  of  these  circum- 
stances, and  prudently  form  his  predilection  so  as  to  secure  as 
many  of  them  as  he  can  in  his  favor.  Upon  enumerating  the  cir- 
cumstances here  referred  to,  and  which,  when  once  mentioned,  will 
appear  sufficiently  obvious,  it  will  perhaps  be  found  that  of  all  the 
different  departments  in  the  whole  range  of  art  or  of  nature  (but 
we  will  at  this  time  confine  ourselves  to  works  of  art  only)  which  a 
person  can  select,  in  which  to  form  a  collection,  the  preferable  pur- 
suit, in  all  these  essential  respects,  is  the  collecting  of  prints. 

The  circumstances  which  are  meant  to  be  alluded  to  are  these  : 
Firstly — The  amount  of  expense  which  it  may  be  necessary  to- 

incur. 
Secondly — The  space  necessary  to  be  allotted  for  containing  the 

collection. 
Thirdly — The  ease  or  difficulty  of  preserving  the  articles  when 

acquired. 
Fourthly — The  portability,  or  facility  of  removal  from  place  to 

place. 
Fifthly — The  susceptibility  of  the  articles  to  just  appreciation 

with  respect  to  quality  and  price. 
Sixthly — Their  susceptibility  to    appreciation  with  respect  to- 

genuineness. 
Seventhly — The  pleasure  or  utility  derivable  from  the  collection 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  9 

in  individual  enjoyment,  or  in  imparting  this  pleasure  or 
utility  to  others  ;  and  this  latter  must  partly  depend  on 
Eighthly — The  popularity  of  the  subject-matter  of  the  collec- 
tion, and  the  greater  or  less  facility  of  displaying  it. 

If  now,  with  reference  to  these  several  heads,  we  compare  prints 
with  the  various  other  descriptions  of  works  of  art  which  form  sub- 
jects for  collections,  it  will  appear  that  in  almost  every  item  the 
former  will  be  found  to  have  the  advantage.  As  to  the  articles  of 
greater  cost  and  greater  bulk,  pictures,  statues,  marbles,  compari- 
son on  any  of  the  first  four  heads  above  enumerated  is  unnecessary. 
One  first-class  picture  would  purchase  every  purchasable  print  that 
it  is  desirable  to  possess.*  A  suite  of  apartments  is  necessary  in 
one  case  for  a  hundredth  part  of  the  number  for  which,  in  the 
other,  one  small  cabinet  would  be  sufficient.  Pictures,  statues, 
marbles,  must  stand  exposed  to  all  the  sweepings  and  dustings  of 
the  rooms  and  furniture,  the  smoke  of  chimneys,  and  the  alternate 
damps  and  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  ;  and  they  must  remain  as 
fixtures,  immovable  but  with  assistance  and  with  much  trouble 
and  derangement.  Coins  and  medals,  engraved  gems,  antiquities, 
and  other  articles  of  vertu,  may  each  compete  with  prints,  some  in 
one,  some  in  another  of  the  advantages  claimed  for  the  latter,  but 
none  of  them  in  all. 

With  respect  to  the  fifth  head  of  distinction,  the  ascertainment 
of  value,  the  subject  of  price  will  be  noticed  hereafter  ;  meantime 
suffice  it  to  call  to  recollection  this  single  consideration,  namely, 

*  Unfortunately  this  statement,  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  print  collecting,  is  not 
altogether  true  at  the  present  day,  for  the  prices  of  the  finest  impressions  of  the  best 
engravings  and  etchings  have  increased  far  out  of  proportion  to  the  prices  of  paintings, 
and  it  is  not  an  uncommon  occurrence  to  find  hundreds  of  pounds  paid  at  an  auction 
for  a  single  print  which  in  Mr.  Maberly's  day  would  have  brought  but  a  few  guineas. 
These  values  are  not  fictitious,  but  the  result  of  an  increasing  demand  for  prints  and 
of  their  scarcity,  consequent  upon  their  wider  dispersion  throughout  the  world. 


10  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

that  every  picture,  or  marble,  or  gem,  is  unique,  and  has  therefore 
no  fellow  wherewith  to  make  direct  comparison,  and  thus  estimate 
the  value  ;  whereas,  of  prints,  there  are,  generally  speaking,  many 
of  the  same,  and  there  will  always  be,  except  in  some  instances 
which  are  too  rare  to  affect  the  observation,  other  prints  from  the 
same  plate,  of  the  same  quality,  in  the  same  state,  which  can  be 
referred  to  whereby  to  fix  very  distinctly  what  the  proper  price 
should  be,  an  advantage  which  cannot  be  had  where  the  article  is 
unique1. 

But  the  sixth  head  is  the  essential  point  on  which  every  other 
subject  of  collection  lies,  with  respect  to  prints,  at  a  prodigious  dis- 
advantage, and  that  is  the  comparative  certainty,  in  the  case  of 
prints,  of  ascertaining  the  genuineness  of  the  article,  contrasted 
with  the  impossibility,  in  every  one  of  the  other  departments,  of 
having  that  entire  and  gratifying  satisfaction  which  arises  from  the 
full  assurance  that  every  article  is  undoubtedly  what  it  professes  to 
be.*  Where  is  there  a  collection  of  pictures,  or  of  marbles,  gems, 
medals,  coins,  or  curiosities,  or  any  articles  indeed  of  vertu,  unless 
it  be  prints,  the  proprietor  of  which,  if  he  be  at  all  sensitive  on 
such  a  matter,  can  receive  the  visit  of  a  stranger  connoisseur  of 
acknowledged  judgment,  without  some  feeling  of  apprehension  that 
a  doubt  may  be  suggested  here,  and  a  suspicion  insinuated  there, 
tending  to  put  the  possessor  out  of  conceit  with  some  one  or  other 
of  his  favorite  specimens  ?  This  anxious  misgiving  must  arise  on 
every  similar  occasion,  and  be  ever  operating  as  a  serious  drawback 
to  the  gratification  which  a  collector  hopes,  and  is  entitled,  to 
enjoy  from  the  exhibition  of  his  stores.  Where  is  the  picture,  or 

*  Thirty  years  ago,  owing  to  the  smaller  prices  of  prints,  there  was  not  as  now  the 
same  inducement  to  dealers  to  "doctor  up"  imperfect  impressions  and  manufacture 
false  proofs.  As  intimated  in  the  introduction  to  this  edition,  one  constantly  meets 
with  what  may  be  called  spurious  impressions  of  engravings  in  which  the  letterings 
have  been  altered  or  erased  to  make  them  pass  with  the  uninitated  for  what  they  are 
not. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  II 

how  often  is  a  picture  seen,  of  which  artists  and  connoisseurs  will 
be  unanimous  in  opinion  that  it  is  a  genuine  work  of  the  master, 
and  if  so,  that  it  is  pure  as  it  came  from  his  easel  ;  that  it  is  not 
damaged,  or  mended,  or  painted  over,  or  worked  upon,  or  injured 
by  injudicious  cleaning  or  varnishing  ?  Stories  are  told  of  artists, 
more  ingenious  than  honest,  who  have  so  skilfully  copied  a  picture, 
to  which  they  have  been  allowed  access  for  the  purposes  of  study, 
that  they  have  ventured  to  substitute  their  copy  for  the  original, 
and  have  succeeded  in  the  bold  attempt,  and  carried  the  latter 
away  in  exchange.  In  like  manner,  though  not  to  the  same  extent, 
because  the  subjects  are  of  rarer  occurrence,  doubts  are  frequently 
entertainable  of  the  authenticity  of  a  statue  or  like  ancient  worlc  ; 
and  even  as  early  as  the  age  of  Michael  Angelo,  a  daring  artist 
ventured  to  trifle  with  the  cognoscenti  of  his  day,  producing  as 
antique  a  fragment  of  a  work  of  his  own,  purposely  mutilated,  and 
of  which  he  had  concealed  the  remainder,  and  having  enjoyed  the 
admiration  bestowed  on  his  deception,  produced  the  evidence 
which  he  had  reserved  for  the  purpose  of  proving  the  inadequacy 
of  connoisseurship  to  protect  itself  from  imposition. 

Coins  and  medals  are  perhaps  better  known  and  discerned  than 
they  used  to  be,  but  there  is  abundance  of  testimony  that  the  most 
intelligent  are  liable  to  be  deceived.  There  are  many  coins,  now 
admitted  to  be  forgeries,  which  heretofore  passed  as  ancient  and 
genuine,  and  were  classed  and  described  in  the  catalogues  of  the 
most  esteemed  writers  ;  and  no  wonder  that  this  was  so,  for  in  the 
early  part  and  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century  some  of  the  best 
artists  of  Italy  employed  the  most  consummate  skill  in  executing 
coins  in  imitation  of  the  antique,  and  for  the  express  purpose  of 
passing  them  off  as  such,  which  they  had  no  difficulty  in  doing,  and 
the  word  Paduan  became  a  synonyme  for  a  forgery.  Even  at  the 
present  day,  a  diversity  of  opinion,  among  good  judges,  on  the 
genuineness  of  a  coin  submitted  to  inspection,  is  by  no  means  an 
unusual  occurrence,  and  Galli,  Becher,  and  Cavino  are  not  always 


12  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

with  certainty  detectable.  There  has  now  lately  been  busy  in 
different  parts  of  England  a  dealer  in  spurious  coins,  pretended  to 
be  ancient,  and  he  has  created  such  notoriety  by  the  success  of  his 
impositions,  that  the  respectable  dealers  in  coins  and  medals  in 
London  have  published  and  circulated  his  portrait,  in  order  to  cau- 
tion the  unwary. 

As  to  engraved  gems,  whether  a  readiness  of  ascertaining  the 
genuineness  of  the  article  be  among  the  advantages  which  the  col- 
lector of  these  antiquities  can  claim,  may  be  judged  from  the  single 
anecdote,  which  all  who  take  interest  in  these  matters  may  remem- 
ber, that  Mr.  Payne  Knight,  a  most  experienced  and  acute  con- 
noisseur, showed  to  the  artist  Pistrucci  an  ancient  gem  which  he 
had  bought  at  a  great  price,  and  which  the  artist  immediately  rec- 
ognized as  the  workmanship  of  his  own  hand.  Of  other  articles  of 
vertu,  the  generality  have  no  very  sure  means  of  recognition,  and  a 
certain  disposition  to  incredulity  is  ever  found  to  prevail  among 
visitors  of  such  collections,  and  which,  however  unjust,  is  certainly 
unpleasant  to  the  exhibitor. 

To  prints  nothing  of  this  sort  attaches.  True  it  is,  that  of 
nearly  all  important  prints  of  ancient  masters  there  exist  copies, 
deceptive  copies  as  they  are  admitted  to  be  ;  and  there  are  re- 
touched plates,  and  repaired  impressions,  but  these  matters  will  be 
further  alluded  to  hereafter  ;  meantime,  let  it  suffice  to  observe 
that  though  these  do  exist,  they  do  not  prevail  in  the  same  manner 
or  degree  as  in  the  other  departments,  nor  so  as  ever  to  create  one 
moment's  apprehension  in  the  mind  of  a  judicious  collector  that 
he  has  in  his  portfolio  a  single  print  which  is  other  than  what  he 
believes  it  to  be. 

Certainly,  ignorance  is  ever  liable  to  be  deceived,  especially 
when  accompanied  by  conceit  and  self-confidence.  Hudson,  the 
portrait  painter,  the  master  of  Sir  Joshua,  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
obtain  a  fine  impression  of  the  very  rare  etching  by  Rembrandt, 
called  the  coach  landscape.  On  occasion  of  this  acquisition,  he 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  13 

gave  a  supper  to  his  amateur  friends,  at  which  to  display  his  pur- 
chase. Benjamin  Wilson,  his  brother  painter,  who  had  a  good 
judgment  in  this  branch  of  art,  and  knew  that  Hudson  had  very  lit- 
tle, though  affecting  great  enthusiasm  for  it,  amused  himself  at  his 
expense.  He  etched  a  plate  in  the  style  of  Rembrandt,  and  sent 
an  impression  to  Paris,  and  circulated  a  report  at  home  that  there 
had  been  discovered  in  France  a  print,  by  Rembrandt,  hitherto  un- 
known, and  apparently  a  companion  to  the  coach  landscape  ;  that 
money  had  been  offered  for  it  for  the  king's  collection,  but  the 
proprietor  meant  to  bring  it  to  England  for  sale.  Hudson  here- 
upon, to  anticipate  'his  English  friends,  hasted  over  to  Paris,  and 
bought  the  print.  On  his  return  he  collected  all  his  amateur 
friends  in  London  to  a  second  supper,  given  specially  for  the  pur- 
pose of  receiving  their  congratulations,  and  which  he  received  ac- 
cordingly. Very  shortly  after  this,  the  whole  of  the  same  party,  and 
Hudson  with  them,  were  invited  to  a  supper  at  Wilson's.  When 
all  were  introduced  to  the  supper-table,  every  plate  was  found 
turned  down,  and  on  the  guests  lifting  them,  behold  under  every 
one  appeared  an  impression  of  the  unhappy  companion  of  the 
coach  landscape,  and  under  Hudson's  plate  lay  the  money  that  he 
had  paid  to  Wilson's  confederate  in  Paris  for  the  purchase. 

The  circumstances  embraced  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  heads 
may  be  considered  together,  for  the  pleasure  or  utility  derivable 
from  a  collection  depends  much  upon  imparting  it,  and  this  again 
depends  much  on  the  ability  or  inclination  of  the  party  to  whom  it 
is  proffered,  to  enjoy  and  appreciate  it.  All  persons  are  pleased 
with  prints,  they  are  not  altogether  caviare  to  the  multitude  ;  less 
initiation  is  necessary  for  the  appreciation  of  their  excellences.  To 
duly  admire  and  enjoy  a  fine  picture,  especially  of  any  of  the  Ital- 
ian schools,  a  regular  professional  education  is  almost  essential. 
To  enjoy  a  gallery  of  painting,  or  statuary,  we  must  walk  about  it, 
and  we  must  have  daylight  ;  but  a  portfolio  of  prints  may  be  laid 
on  the  table,  and  give  variety  to  the  amusement  of  a  winter's 


14  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

night,  when  variety  of  occupation  is  most  in  requisition,  and  all  the 
circle,  as  they  sit,  may  participate  in  the  enjoyment. 

Drawings  are  the  only  things  which  may  be  supposed  to  com- 
pete with  .prints  in  these  points  of  popularity  and  facility  of  exhibi- 
tion and  inspection,  and  with  modern  water-color  drawings  this 
may  be  the  case  ;  but  all  drawings,  and  more  especially  those  by 
ancient  masters,  require  as  much,  or  perhaps  even  more  than  pic- 
tures, a  regular  professional  education  ;  and  even  if  this  were  other- 
wise, still  the  disadvantages  attach  to  drawings  of  a  larger  expendi- 
ture and  the  uncertainty  of  genuineness.  The  preservation  of 
them  is  also  more  difficult,  as  the  colors  are  apt  to  fade  or  change 
by  various  circumstances  ;  either  by  exclusion,  for  instance,  from 
air  or  from  light,  or  by  too  constant  exposure  to  light  or  air  ;  and 
they  are,  by  reason  of  the  sensitiveness  of  color,  much  more  readily 
and  seriously  affected  by  the  slightest  approach  of  damp. 

Of  coins  and  medals,  which  also  may  be  enjoyed  round  a  tea- 
table,  the  collector,  who  opens  his  cabinet,  attracts  the  few,  if  any 
such  happen  to  be  present,  who  take  an  interest  in  this  specific 
study.  He  attracts  the  attention  also,  for  his  Syracusan  medal- 
lions, and  Grecian  kings,  and  Italian  medals,  of  another  few,  who, 
though  ignorant  of  the  science,  may  be  amateurs  of  fine  art  ;  but 
he  fails  in  his  attempt  to  excite  any  interest  in  the  generality  of  a 
mixed  company  :  and  if  none  of  such  initiated  as  alluded  to  be 
present,  he  opens  his  cabinet  in  vain. 

The  same  observation  will  apply  in  a  nearly  equal  degree  to  a 
collection  of  gems  :  their  casts  in  plaster,  uniform  in  color,  exqui- 
site in  delicacy,  neat  and  new-looking,  each  in  its  golden  border, 
would,  in  the  eye  of  the  many,  outvie  the  originals.  But  the  print- 
folio  has  charms,  in  one  or  other  of  its  varieties,  for  all  classes,  old 
and  young,  gentle  and  simple,  learned  and  ignorant. 

The  universal  popularity  of  prints  is,  indeed,  readily  accounted 
for  ;  they  possess  qualities  calculated  to  allure  all  tastes.  To  the 
lover  of  art  they  present  faithful  translations  of  the  works  of  the 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  15 

great  painters  of  all  ages  and  countries,  works  dispersed  over  the 
whole  civilized  world,  and  never  to  be  seen,  but  by  a  comparatively 
few  individuals,  except  through  the  medium  of  the  sister  art  of 
engraving  ;  they  present  portraits  of  the  illustrious  and  remarkable 
persons  of  all  times  and  all  nations,  of  all  professions  and  pursuits  ; 
they  embody  and  realize  the  great  and  interesting  events  of  his- 
tory, and  give  substance  and  form  to  the  imaginations  of  poetry 
and  romance  ;  they  present  the  scenery  of  far  distant  countries, 
the  cities  of  the  world,  the  habits,  ceremonies,  and  features  of  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  nay,  they  are  the  only  medium,  in- 
deed, of  presenting  to  the  eye  the  representation  of  every  object  of 
art  or  nature  which  words  are  inadequate  to  describe. 

In  some  of  these  observations,  however,  on  the  general  utility 
of  prints,  we  refer  to  other  classes  than  those  which  find  their  way 
into  the  portfolio  of  collectors,  for  these  are  such  as  are  estimable 
as  works  of  art,  with  little  or  no  reference  to  other  objects  or  quali- 
ties. It  is  well  observed  by  Mr.  Wilson,  in  the  preface  to  his 
"  Catalogue  Raisonnee  of  the  Select  Collection  of  Engravings  of  an 
Amateur,"  that  it  has  been  too  much  the  custom  in  this  country 
to  consider  engraving  more  with  reference  to  its  utility  than  with 
regard  to  its  higher  qualities,  as  it  has  been  chiefly  encouraged  in 
the  decoration  of  books  and  the  illustration  of  scientific  and  me- 
chanical treatises. 

To  return,  then,  to  our  proper  subject  :  the  collector  must  be 
warned  to  prepare  himself  for  certain  unpleasant  inconveniences 
which  will  arise  out  of  this  very  quality  of  the  popularity  of  the  ob- 
jects of  his  pursuit.  He  will  soon  discover  that  though  all  may  be 
amused,  there  are  but  few  who  judiciously  admire  ;  and  he  must 
not  expect,  while  a  whole  company  crowd  round  his  portfolio,  that 
his  finest  specimens  will  be  in  any  degree  appreciated,  and,  except 
on  special  occasions,  when  he  may  have  reason  to  think  that  they 
will  be  so,  he  will  grow  reluctant  to  display  them.  Nevertheless, 
he  should  not  be  too  jealous  of  the  intrusion  of  the  uninitiated,  but 


1 6  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

endeavor  to  possess  himself  of  sufficient  magnanimity  to  suppress 
that  contemptuous  sort  of  feeling  which  his  brethren  are  sometimes 
too  apt  to  entertain  with  respect  to  all  who  have  not  a  kindred 
taste  ;  he  should  bear  in  mind  that  there  are  many  who,  though 
ignorant,  are  desirous  to  learn  ;  many  who  have  good  natural  taste, 
though  untutored  and  undisciplined  ;  and  he  will  find  pleasure  in 
discerning  indications  of  these  qualities,  and  will,  on  such  occa- 
sions, hazard  a  display  of  his  divine  things,  even  at  the  risk  of  hear- 
ing his  gods  blasphemed. 

It  must  be  confessed,  indeed,  that  the  temperament  of  an 
exhibitor  is  sometimes  put  severely  to  the  test  :  remarks  will  now 
and  then  be  made  which  are  not  at  all  germane  to  those  feelings 
which  the  contemplation  of  the  work  displayed  is  calculated  prop- 
erly to  excite.  When  a  print,  which  has  been  previously  pro- 
claimed to  be  of  importance,  is  produced  before  an  assembly  of  un- 
initiated, the  first  secret  feeling  is,  generally,  disappointment,  and 
the  first  observable  effect  a  solemn  pause  of  decorous  silence  ;  but 
presently  an  observation  is  hazarded,  in  a  low  tone,  which  awfully 
discloses  the  total  insensibility  of  the  speaker  to  any  one  quality 
for  which  the  work  is  admirable.  "What  can  it  be?"  said  a 
young  lady,  after  contemplating  a  fine  print  of  the  Fall  of  Phaeton. 
"Do  look,  mamma;  what  is  it?"  The  old  lady  looked  atten- 
tively. "  Really,  my  dear,  I  do  not  know  what  it  is  ;  but  it  seems 
to  be  a  sad  accident."  Gentle  reader,  if  when  you  have  become  a 
collector,  and  are  exhibiting  the  large  "  Descent  from  the  Cross" 
by  Rembrandt,  and  are  expecting  exclamations  of  admiration  at 
the  wonderful  flood  of  light  which  is  streaming  in  bright  beams 
from  heaven,  blazing  on  the  wood  of  the  cross,  and  on  the  fur  cap, 
back,  and  arms  of  the  man  who  is  leaning  over  it,  do  not  sink  into 
the  earth,  if,  instead  of  any  such  burst,  you  hear  uttered  in  a  whis- 
per, "  Do  look  at  that  man  on  the  ladder  ;  what  a  great  patch  he 
has  got  on  his  trousers  !"  Endeavor  also  to  reconcile  yourself  to 
the  very  general,  but  sickening  phrase,  "  They  have  made  ;" 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  if 

"  How  large  they  have  made  the  men  in  the  boats," — as  if  a  fine 
picture  or  print  were  like  a  piece  of  machinery,  manufactured  by 
such  a  one  "  and  Co.,"  which,  by  the  way,  with  respect  to  prints 
of  the  present  day,  is  an  idea  in  some  measure  realized  ;  of  which 
more  hereafter.  Neither  lose  all  patience,  if,  when  you  display 
your  "John  Sylvius,"  your  spectators,  without  noticing  the  por- 
trait, immediately  begin  spelling,  with  great  industry,  the  words 
around  and  underneath,  puzzling  out  the  Latin  for  the  ladies  ;  or 
if  the  only  exclamation  be,  "  bless  me,  how  like  Mr.  Dash  !" 

Even  these  disheartening  shocks  are  less  terrible  than  the  smile 
of  incredulity,  so  often  ill  concealed,  when  an  antiquary  produces 
to  view  something,  which  no  one  chooses  to  believe  to  be  what  it 
professes  to  be,  and  is.     Incredulity  is  often  very  undeserved.     A 
friend  of  ours  has  a  genuine  curiosity,  which  we  have  frequently 
seen  him  exhibit,  and  then,  for  one  that  reverenced,  there  were  ten 
that   smiled.     It   is   a   small  portion   of  the  hair  of    Edward  the 
Fourth,  King  of  England.     Our  friend,  when  a  boy,  was  present 
with  Mr.  Emlyn,  the  architect,  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  by  the 
latter,   in  St.   George's  Chapel,  at  Windsor,   of  the  tomb  of    this 
king,  in  the  year  1789,  as  described  fully  in  the  publications  of  the 
Antiquarian  Society,  "  Vetusta  Monumenta, ''  vol.  iii.  pi.  7  and  8. 
He  then  and  there  made  this  rape  of  the  lock,  and  wrapped  it  in  a 
piece  of  newspaper,  Which  also  he  preserves,  as  it  bears  the  stain  of 
the  liquid  in  which  the  king's  body  was  found  immersed.     So  diffi- 
cult is  it  to  obtain  credit  for  the  genuineness  of  an  article  of  un- 
common or  unexpected  occurrence  ;    and  the  conclusion  is,   that 
that  line  of  collecting  is  the  best  to  take  up,  in  which  there  is  least 
vantage  ground  for  scepticism  to  chill  enthusiasm. 

But  to  return.  There  is  one  quality  which  has  not  yet  been 
referred  to,  which  is  common  to  all  collections  of  ancient  art, 
namely,  their  antiquity  ;  antiquity  considered  simply  as  such,  and 
on  its  own  account.  In  some  cases  this  single  quality  forms  the 
only  value.  It  is  not  easy  to  analyze  the  pleasure  which  is  afforded 


1 8  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

by  the  contemplation  of  objects  of  this  description,  and  yet  there 
are  very  few  persons  who  do  not  feel  a  gratification  and  interest  in 
such  things.  It  may  fairly  be  doubted  whether  a  lock  of  hair  of 
any  present  reigning  sovereign  would  interest  so  generally  as  this 
of  old  King  Edward,  or  even  whether  a  few  gray  hairs  from  the 
venerable  head  of  the  first  man  in  Europe  could  prevail  in  this 
respect  against  a  few,  if  he  could  have  spared  any,  from  the  head  of 
Julius  Caesar,  or,  indeed,  of  any  noble  Roman  of  them  all.  A  col- 
lection of  prints  has,  in  a  very  considerable  degree,  this  quality  of 
antiquity  :  there  are  many  of  as  early  an  era  as  that  of  the  English 
king  just  mentioned.  Such  prints  are  calculated  to  produce,  there- 
fore, independent  of  their  interest  as  works  of  genius,  this  pleasure 
arising  from  the  contemplation  of  antiquity  simply  as  such  ;  and  if 
this  species  of  gratification  do  not  often  come  into  account,  it  is  for 
no  other  reason  than  because  it  is  lost,  like  a  planet  in  daylight, 
immersed  in  the  greater  and  more  specific  gratification  arising  from 
the  contemplation  of  a  work  of  art. 

It  may  not  occur  to  the  mind  when  one  is  examining  an  ancient 
print,  but,  if  it  do  occur,  it  excites  much  additional  interest,  that 
we  are  now  seeing,  handling,  and  admiring  the  same  identical  thing 
which  was  seen,  handled,  and  admired  by  our  ancestors,  or  at  least 
the  ancestors  of  our  generation,  several  centuries  ago.  I  hold  in 
my  hand,  perhaps,  at  this  moment,  the  same  print,  certainly  the 
same  virtually,  but  possibly  the  same  identical  piece  of  paper,  that 
Marc  Antonio  held  in  his  hand  when  he  submitted  his  "  Adam 
and  Eve"  to  the  approbation  of  his  patron,  Raffaelle.  I  am  at  this 
moment  looking,  perhaps,  at  the  same  print,  certainly  the  same  vir- 
tually, but  possibly  the  same  identical  piece  of  paper,  the  same 
identical  impression  it  may  be,  of  "  The  Conversion  of  St.  Eus- 
tachius, "  by  Albert  Diirer,  which  the  Emperor  Maximilian  gazed 
at  with  admiration  and  delight,  and  which  called  from  him  the 
order  that  the  copper-plate  should  be  filled  with  gold,  anxious,  ere 
its  beauties  should  become  faded,  to  enshrine  the  wonderful  work 
for  evermore. 


CHAPTER   II. 

OF  CLASSIFICATION. 

HAVING  determined  that  the  department,  in  which  to  become 
collector,  shall  be  that  of  prints,  the  next  consideration  will  be  the 
subject  matter  of  the  proposed  collection,  and  this  with  reference 
to  its  intended  extent  and  nature.  In  order  to  this,  it  may  be  well 
to  take  a  brief  general  view  of  the  whole  of  the  extensive  material 
of  which  collections  may  be  composed,  or  from  which  they  may  be 
selected  ;  and  to  consider,  also,  classification,  or  the  manner  in 
which  this  large  and  miscellaneous  matter  may  be  divided,  or,  in- 
deed, arranges  itself  into  great  classes,  and  thence  into  minor  sub- 
divisions. In  entering  upon  this  subject,  we  must  request  the 
reader  to  pardon  a  few  details,  which  are  introduced  for  the  use  of 
those  only,  if  such  there  may  be,  who  are,  as  yet,  totally  ignorant 
of  the  subject  treated  of,  and  now,  for  the  first  time,  introduced  to 
it. 

There  are  various  descriptions  of  prints,  various  modes  of  art  by 


20  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

which  prints  are  produced  ;  popularly,  all  are  called  by  the  general 
term,  "engravings."  This  word,  however,  as  applied  to  a  print, 
is  not  correct  ;  the  more  proper  term  is,  "a  print."  A  print  is  an 
impression  taken  in  ink,  or  other  colored  fluid,  upon  paper,  vellum, 
satin,  or  other  suitable  material,  from  an  engraving  made  upon 
some  hard  substance.  The  substances  used  for  this  purpose  are 
wood  and  metal,  the  metal  being  generally,  and  until  our  own  time 
almost  universally,  copper,  though  sometimes,  but  rarely,  iron  or 
steel,  which  have  been  again  introduced  of  late  years.  The  engrav- 
ing, therefore,  is  not  the  print,  but  is  that  which  produces  the 
print.  But  it  is  waste  of  time  to  debate  upon  the  propriety  of  a 
term,  especially  when  public  usage,  the  sole  arbiter  of  all  language, 
has  chosen  to  adopt  it.  Nevertheless,  precision  of  terms  is  always 
of  value  as  knowledge,  though  it  may  be  pedantic  in  practice. 

Of  engraving  upon  wood  there  is  one  method  only,  but  there 
are  several  different  species  of  engraving  upon  metal.  All  the 
modes  of  engraving  upon  metal  are,  however,  alike  in  that  one 
respect  in  which  all  differ  from  engraving  on  wood  ;  the  latter  is  a 
work  in  cameo,  the  former  in  intaglio.  On  metal,  the  design  is 
produced  by  cutting,  scratching,  or  corroding  the  material  ;  on 
wood,  the  operation  is  precisely  the  reverse,  the  design  being  cut 
in  relief,  the  rest  of  the  surface  being  lowered.  The  impression, 
in  the  latter  case,  is  taken  by  inking  the  projections  which  form  the 
design  ;  in  the  former  case  it  is  taken  by  filling  the  incisions  with 
ink,  wiping  clean  the  rest  of  the  plate. 

The  executing  of  the  incisions  on  the  metal  is  performed  in  sev- 
eral ways  ;  the  mode  of  working,  to  which  the  term  "  engraving" 
may  be,  and  is,  more  peculiarly,  applied,  is  by  means  of  a  tool 
called  a  burin,  which  has  a  lozenge-shaped  point,  and  ploughs  up 
the  copper,  by  the  pressure  of  the  artist's  hand,  in  the  direction 
required  by  his  design.  Another  mode  is  called  "etching."  In 
this  the  metal  is  covered  with  a  varnish,  or  "  ground,"  as  it  is  tech- 
nically termed  ;  the  design  is  then  traced  with  a  needle,  which  cuts 


THE    PRINT  COLLECTOR.  21 

through  the   varnish    in    its   progress,    and  leaves  bare  the  metal 
throughout  the  line  which   it   describes  ;  after  this,  aqua  fortis  is 
poured  on  the  plate,  and  suffered  to  lie  ;  this  eats  into  all  the  parts 
where  the  copper  has  been  bared  and  exposed,  but  is  prevented 
from  eating  into  any  other  part  by  the  ground  laid  on  for  the  pur- 
pose.    Another  mode  is  by  the  dry  point,  which  consists  in  scratch- 
ing the  design  on  bare  metal,  with  a  needle  similar  to  that  used  for 
etching.     The  latest   invention   is    what    is  called    "  mezzotinto." 
The  process  here  is  to  rake  and  scratch   the  copper  plate  all  over 
in    every   direction,    covering   it    with    incisions   so    close    and    so 
crossed,  that  if  an  impression  in  ink  were  taken  from  the  plate  in 
this  state,  it  would  present  a  sheet  of  total  black  ;  after  this,  the 
depth  of  dark  is  lowered  by  burnishing  the  plate  down  in  parts  re- 
quired to  be  light,  and  so  more  and  more,  producing  intermediate 
tints  and  absolute  lights,  till  the  design  comes  out  in  all  its  proper 
gradations  of   shadow.     There  are  other  modes,  such  as  dotting  or 
stippling,   performed  with  a  punch  and  mallet  ;    aqua   tinta,    by 
which  the  effect  of  bistre,  or  Indian  ink,  is  attempted  to  be  given  ; 
but  as  nothing  excellent  has  hitherto  been  produced,  except  by  one 
or  other  of  the  methods  before  detailed,   no  further  notice  need 
here  be  taken  of  any  others.     The  modern  art  called  lithography 
need  not  be  noticed  in  a  work  treating  on  engraving,  because  it  is 
not  engraving,  does  not  proceed  on  similar  principles,  nor  has  any- 
thing in  common  with  it,  except  that  it  is  a  means  of  multiplying 
impressions  on  paper,  but  by  a  totally  different  process.     It  is  a 
chemical  process.     The  design  is  drawn,  on  prepared  stone,  with  a 
crayon  of  a  peculiar  composition,  of  a  nature  to  receive  and  retain 
printing  ink  when  applied  to  it,  the  stone  being  of  a  nature  to  repel 
the  ink  and  take  no  stain  from  it. 

Prints  are  met  with,  executed  some  by  one,  some  by  another, 
of  the  several  methods  before  mentioned,  to  the  exclusion  of  all 
the  rest  ;  but  most  usually  two  or  more  of  the  different  modes  are 
united,  and,  in  modern  times,  all  the  methods  arc  occasionally  em- 


22  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

ployed  in  one  and  the  same  plate.*  It  is  not  easy,  in  all  cases,  by 
examination  of  an  impression,  to  distinguish,  with  certainty,  from 
one  another,  the  different  practices  which  may  have  been  adopted 
in  the  several  parts.  Prints  which  are  impressions  from  plates  on 
which  etching  has  been  the  sole  or  chief  mode  of  working,  are  by 
artists,  amateurs,  and  dealers  generally  called  "  etchings,"  in  con- 
tradistinction to  "  engravings,"  which  latter  term  they  apply  to 
impressions  from  plates  executed  wholly  or  chiefly  with  the  burin. 
This  distinction  is  more  than  in  name,  or  than  at  first  appears,  and 
forms  an  important  class.  The  prints  which  are  thus  called  "  etch- 
ings" will  generally  be  found  to  be  original  designs  of  the  engrav- 
ers, and  in  many  cases  struck  off  at  once,  and  exhibiting  all  the 
spirit  of  original  first  thoughts,  and  all  the  freedom  for  which  the 
playful  facility  of  the  etching  needle  gives  opportunity  and  scope. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  prints  to  which  the  word  "  engraving"  is 
applied  will  generally  be  found  to  be  translations  ("  copies"  is 
neither  the  word  nor  the  thing).  "  translations"  of  works  originally 
executed  in  painting,  and  now  transferred  to  the  copper  by  the 

*  The  art  of  photography  was  discovered  in  1802,  and  brought  in  practice  about 
1848.  It  might  perhaps  be  more  accurately  described  as  a  process  for  copying,  which 
it  does  rather  than  reproduce.  Its  subsequent  development  has  led  to  various  devices 
by  which  remarkable  fac-similes  of  prints  are  made.  These  are  known  as  helio- 
gravures, heliotypes,  autotypes,  photo-lithographs,  etc.  In  some  cases  the  photographs 
are  printed  upon  metals,  such  as  zinc,  and  in  others  upon  prepared  plates  of  hard 
glutinous  substances,  resembling  gelatine.  These  impressions  or  transfers  are  eaten 
into  the  surface  by  chemicals,  and  printed  copies  in  ink  are  taken  from  them  in  the 
same  manner  as  from  an  etched  copper  plate  or  lithographic  stone.  As  the  materials 
composing  these  plates  are  generally  very  perishable,  only  a  limited  number  of  clear 
and  perfect  impressions  can  be  taken  before  the  wear  becomes  apparent.  The  col- 
lector, however,  is  not  likely  to  be  deceived  into  accepting  this  class  of  prints  as  orig- 
inal ;  but  as  the  very  finest  copies  of  the  genuine  prints  are  usually  selected  for  repro- 
duction, they  are  extremely  valuable  for  reference  and  comparison. 

The  art  of  lithography  has  also  been  revived  and  has  increased  to  an  extraordinary 
extent.  Some  of  the  best  modern  French  artists  do  not  disdain  to  use  the  crayon 
and  the  pen  to  trace  their  original  conceptions  upon  the  lithographer's  stone. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  23 

laborious  and  mechanical  skill  of  the  patient  worker  with  the  burin. 
An  engraving  thus  limited  in  its  meaning  may  be  considered  to 
personate  the  art  in  her  full  attire  of  ceremony  and  state.  The 
etching  shows  art  at  her  ease,  art  in  dishabille,  perhaps,  but  never  a 
slattern  ;  only  throwing  off  much  of  the  restraint  and  stiffness  to 
which  she  is,  on  high  days,  subjected.  There  are  a  few  beautiful 
little  etchings  by  Rembrandt,  which  appear  as  if  fancifully  scrib- 
bled at  a  moment  of  idle  leisure  ;  we  see  heads  and  faces,  and  little 
figures  in  different  directions,  from  the  same  piece  of  copper,  with- 
out any  relative  connection  or  design,  all  playfulness  and  ease,  yet 
admirable  in  execution  and  expression. 

It  will  be  perceived  that,  in  the  different  methods  of  working 
which  have  been  enumerated,  we  have,  to  a  certain  extent,  a  classi- 
fication formed  to  our  hand  ;  we  have,  first,  wood  engravings  ; 
next,  copper-plate  engravings  ;  then,  etchings,  "  painter's  etch- 
ings"* they  are  generally  called  ;  and,  lastly,  mezzotinto  ;  and  this 
is  a  classification  which  some  collectors  do  adopt,  confining  their 
pursuits  to  one  or  other  of  these  classes,  or  extending  it  to  all,  as 
their  inclinations  or  means  may  determine  them. 

But  it  will  be  better  to  look  further  into  the  mass  of  materials 
before  us.  We  find,  then,  prints  executed  in  the  various  ways  be- 
fore mentioned,  as  well  singly  as  in  combination.  We  find  these 
various  modes  of  art  practised,  not  in  our  country  only,  but  in 

*  The  term  "  painter's  etching"  is  not  always  clearly  apprehended.  It  is  used  in 
contradistinction  to  the  etching  or  engraving  executed  after  a  design  or  picture  by 
some  other  artist.  A  painter's  etching  is  an  original  production  throughout — that  is, 
the  first  conception  of  the  subject,  the  composition,  delineation,  and  mechanical 
execution,  were  all  the  work  of  the  one  artist,  as  in  the  case  of  Rembrandt,  whose 
prints  are  entirely  the  product  of  his  own  mind  and  hand.  He  even  carried  this  to  the 
extent  of  taking  the  impressions  from  a  press  in  his  own  house,  probably  in  many 
instances  doing  this  personally.  He  thus  realized  to  the  fullest  extent  Mr.  Ruskin's 
theory  that  an  artist,  and  even  an  author,  should  be  the  publisher  of  his  own  works,  for 
Rembrandt  also  sold  his  etchings  without  the  aid  of  the  merchant.  This  perhaps 
would  not  be  as  practicable  now  as  at  that  time. 


24  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

various  parts  of  the  continent  of  Europe  ;  and  we  find  each  nation 
or  country  showing  some  express  mannerism,  or  peculiarity  of 
style,  distinguishing  its  works  from  the  performances  of  others. 
We  find  that  prints  are  still  in  existence,  by  artists  who  lived  nearly 
four  centuries  ago  ;  and  that  a  vast  variety  of  specimens  remain, 
also,  of  artists  who  have  lived,  in  succession,  at  all  intervening 
periods,  from  that  early  time  to  the  present.  We  find  that,  of 
these  generations  of  artists,  some  have  left  original  works,  of  which 
themselves  were  the  designers  ;  others  have  merely  been  the 
copiers  or  translators  of  the  designs  of  others,  but  produced  noth- 
ing of  their  own  invention.  We  find  varieties,  also,  in  the  subject 
matter  of  these  various  engravers  ;  we  find  that  some  have  con- 
fined themselves,  wholly  or  chiefly,  to  portraits  ;  others  to  land- 
scapes ;  others  to  historical  subjects  ;  others  to  fancy  pieces  ; 
others  to  rural  scenes,  cattle,  etc. ;  others  to  domestic  incidents  ; 
others  to  the  amusements  or  business  of  rustic  life  ;  others  to  bat- 
tles and  combats  ;  others  to  marine  affairs  ;  others  to  still  life  ; 
others  to  natural  history.  Here,  then,  is  not  only  great  opportu- 
nity and  choice  of  classification,  but  occasion,  and,  indeed,  neces- 
sity for  it,  and,  accordingly,  it  is  found  to  be  adopted,  in  one  way 
or  another,  in  all  collections,  great  or  small  ;  in  small  collections  in 
some  very  simple  method  ;  but,  in  large  ones,  according  to  a  more 
complex  plan  ;  some  of  the  numerous  classes,  which  may  be  de- 
vised, forming  subdivisions  within  the  more  general  ones.  It  will 
be  sufficient  to  notice  the  more  prominent  and  general  methods  of 
classification  ;  subordinate  modes  will  suggest  themselves  if  they 
should  be  needed. 

The  first  classification  that  may  be  mentioned  is  that  into 
schools.  By  this  is  meant  the  arranging  of  prints  according  to  the 
countries  in  which  the  artists  who  produced  them  were  born,  or 
educated,  or  practised.  Thus  we  have  the  Italian  school,  the  Ger- 
man, the  Dutch,  Flemish,  French,  English  schools.  In  extensive 
collections,  this  is  generally  the  first  leading  grand  division  ;  other 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  25 

classes  forming  subdivisions  within  it,  and  these,  perhaps,  branch- 
ing into  further  sub-arrangements.  Minor  collectors  frequently 
confine  themselves  to  some  one  or  more  of  these  several  schools,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  rest.  In  the  sister  art  of  painting,  the  school 
of  Italy  is  divided  into  several  ;  we  have  the  Lombard  school,  the 
Florentine,  the  Venetian,  the  Roman,  and  others  ;  but  this  is 
rarely  the  case  with  their  engravers. 

This  arrangement  into  schools  necessarily  calls  attention,  not 
only  to  the  names  of  artists,  but  to  their  birthplaces  and  resi- 
dences ;  and  hence  occurs  a  further  very  natural  classification, 
namely,  that  of  placing  together  all  works  of  the  same  artist,  how- 
ever various  the  subjects  he  may  have  treated,  and  thus  forming  a 
collection  of  the  whole,  or  a  certain  portion,  of  the  productions  of 
any  one  or  more  engravers.  Where  the  larger  system  of  classifica- 
tion into  schools  is  adopted,  this  will,  very  properly,  form  a  subdi- 
vision merely  of  that  larger  class,  and  in  all  extensive  collections 
it  invariably  does  so  ;  but  in  lesser  collections  it  may  form,  of 
itself,  the  primary  classification  ;  and  such  collections  may  be  con- 
fined to  one  or  a  few  artists  at  pleasure,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  oth- 
ers ;  and  this  is,  by  no  means,  an  uncommon  practice. 

There  is  a  variety,  which  may  be  noticed,  of  this  mode  of 
arrangement  ;  and  that  is,  the  classing  by  artists,  as  already  consid- 
ered ;  but  with  respect  to  engravings,  properly  so  called,  placing 
them,  not  according  to  the  artists  who  engraved  them,  but  accord- 
ing to  the  painters  from  whose  pictures  the  engravings  are  made. 
Thus,  one  collector  will  amass  all  prints,  no  matter  by  whom 
executed,  or  at  what  period,  after  pictures  by  Raffaelle  ;  another, 
after  pictures  by  Rubens  ;  another.  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  As 
engraving  is  an  imitative  art,  of  which  painting  is  the  original 
which  it  seeks  to  imitate,  or  rather,  and  to  speak  more  correctly,  as 
these  two  arts  bear,  to  one  another,  the  same  relation  that  an  origi- 
nal poem,  or  other  literary  composition,  bears  to  a  translation  of 
the  same  into  another  language,  the  principle  of  arrangement  now 


26  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

under  notice  will  be  adopted  by  every  collector  who  considers 
engraving  as  a  mere  auxiliary  to  painting.  But  others  may,  per- 
haps, be  of  opinion  that  this  mode  does  some  injustice  to  the  repu- 
tation of  engravers,  for  that,  in  a  collection  of  works  in  this  their 
department  of  art,  the  names  of  the  practisers  in  that  art  ought,  in 
fairness,  to  be  the  prominent  index  of  reference  ;  but  when  the 
arrangement  is  at  last  described,  it  is  the  name  of  the  painter  only 
that  is  brought  into  notice  ;  and,  on  being  shown  such  a  collection, 
we  hear  of  Raffaelle,  Rubens,  Vandyke,  and  Correggio  again  and 
again ,  but  we  hear  not,  or  at  best  only  in  subordination,  if  at  all, 
the  names  of  Marc  Antonio,  Bolswert,  Vorsterman,  or  Strange, 
although  these  latter  were,  in  the  line  in  which  they  practised, 
equal  to  their  brother  artists  in  every  appropriate  excellence  of 
their  respective  arts  ;  and  although,  but  for  the  labors  of  these 
engravers,  the  painters,  their  originals,  could  never  introduce  a 
memento  of  their  works  into  our  portfolios.  By  this  system,  jus- 
tice can  then  alone  be  done  to  the  engraver,  when  the  painter,  or 
at  least  designer  and  engraver,  are  one  and  the  same,  which  is 
sometimes  the  case.  There  are  several  engraved  prints  which  are 
believed  to  have  had  no  originals  on  the  easel.  Most,  if  not  all,  of 
the  works  on  copper  and  wood  of  Albert  Diirer  were  executed  by 
himself,  the  former  engraved  with  the  burin,  the  latter  drawn, 
though  probably  not  carved,  on  the  block  by  his  own  hand,  from 
his  own  designs  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  he  did  not  always  make  a 
picture  of  the  subject  first.  Strutt  observes,  very  truly,  that  the 
prints  of  this  artist,  and  also  those  of  Rembrandt  and  Salvator 
Rosa,  are  such  exact  counterparts  of  their  paintings,  that  they  be- 
come the  rivals  of  them. 

These  observations  suggest  a  further  subdivision,  or  depart- 
ment, in  classification,  namely,  the  ranging  together  the  works  of 
all  artists  who  have  been  their  own  engravers.  At  the  head  of 
these  may,  perhaps,  be  placed  Martin  Schoen,  the  artist  who  has 
the  reputation  of  being  the  earliest  copper-plate  engraver  whose 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  27 

name  can  be  ascertained  with  any  certainty.  Other  very  early  art- 
ists would  follow,  especially  Albert  Diirer  ;  and  this  department 
would  include  such  artists  as  Goltzius,  Callot,  Delia  Bella,  and  our 
own  Hogarth,  not  to  mention  the  more  important  artist,  Rem- 
brandt, and  those  who  frequently  form  a  class  by  themselves,  under 
the  name  of  the  Dutch  etchers,  Berghem,  Du  Jardin,  Ostade,  &c. 

Another  method  of  arrangement  is  the  chronological  ;  it  cannot 
be  properly  called  classification,  for,  where  it  is  made  the  leading 
system,  it  rather  confounds  all  classification.  It  ranges  all  artists 
according  to  the  era  in  which  they  flourished  ;  it  may,  or  may  not 
be,  made  simultaneous  with  a  classification  into  schools  ;  in  a  large 
collection  it  is  certainly  advisable  to  arrange  first  in  schools,  and 
then  each  school  chronologically  within  itself  ;  and  even,  in  a  small 
collection,  it  may  be  preferable  to  adopt  the  arrangement  in 
schools,  for  it  gives  the  advantage  of  being  able  to  watch  the  com- 
parative contemporary  progress  of  the  art  in  different  countries, 
and  to  mark  the  difference  between  works  of  art,  produced  in 
different  nations,  at  the  same  epoch. 

By  the  chronological  arrangement  is  displayed  the  progress  of 
the  art  from  its  infancy  to  the  latest  day,  and  it  has  semblance, 
therefore,  of  being  a  more  scientific,  interesting,  natural,  and 
rational  mode  of  arrangement  than  any  other,  and,  perhaps,  some 
persons  may  so  esteem  it  ;  but,  practically,  it  is  not  so  satisfactory 
as  the  principle  on  which  it  proceeds  would  encourage  one  to  ex- 
pect. The  progress  of  the  steam-engine  may  be  traced,  and  shown 
in  models,  and  drawings,  and  sections,  from  its  earliest  notion, 
through  stages  of  gradual  successive  improvement,  to  its  latest  state 
of  perfection  ;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  many  other  produc- 
tions of  science  or  art.  But  the  art  of  engraving  was  of  such  rapid 
growth,  that  it  had,  in  fact,  no  nonage.  The  art  of  design  began 
by  tracing  her  lover's  shade,  in  chalk,  upon  the  wall  ;  but  the  art  of 
engraving  stamped  at  once  his  perfect  resemblance  in  full  propor- 
tion, and  almost  full  rotundity  of  light  and  shadow.  Some  of 


28  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

nearly  the  earliest  productions  of  the  graver  remain,  in  some  quali- 
ties at  least,  unsurpassed  to  the  present  day.  Speaking  of  Marc 
Antonio  and  his  contemporaries,  engravers  who  flourished  more 
than  three  centuries  ago,  M.  Millin  observes  that  there  has  not,  in 
all  subsequent  time  to  the  present  day,  appeared  one  single  artist 
who  has  handled  the  burin  with  so  much  intelligence  in  the  design, 
and  so  much  precision  of  outline  ;  and  (he  might  have  added,  as  in- 
deed he  meant)  who  has  shown  such  scientific  knowledge  of  the  art 
of  drawing.  Nor  is  this  more  than  what,  upon  consideration, 
might  have  been  anticipated  ;  it  could  scarcely  be  considered  a  new 
art  at  the  period  when  we  date  its  origin.  It  is,  in  fact,  among  the 
most  ancient  of  arts,  and  what  we  call  the  invention  of  engraving 
was  no  more  than  the  application  of  it  to  a  new  purpose. 

The  art,  whose  beginning  we  date  from  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  should,  in  strictness,  be  designated,  not  the  art 
of  engraving,  but  the  art  of  taking,  from  engraved  plates  of  metal, 
impressions  on  paper,  or  other  suitable  substance.  The  successors 
of  Tubal  Cain  had  already,  from  time  immemorial,  been  expert  to 
admiration  in  the  ornamental  intaglio  work  of  the  goldsmith,  of 
most  exquisite  design  and  workmanship  ;  and  the  perfection  of  art 
of  this  sort,  so  soon  as  it  stamped  its  impression  on  the  wet  paper, 
stamped  the  image  of  itself  ;  the  perfection  of  the  art  which  was 
thus  proclaimed  as  its  offspring.  Like  Minerva,  bursting  from  the 
head  of  Jove,  it  was  but  the  bringing  to  light  a  talent  which  had 
already  arrived  at  maturity,  but  lay  undivulged.*  The  progress 

*  The  art  of  engraving  upon  metal  plates  was  undoubtedly  practised  many  centuries 
before  the  Christian  era.  Among  its  earliest  forms  of  which  we  have  examples  are 
the  bits  of  bronze  work  executed  by  the  ancient  Egyptians.  In  1876-7  we  had,  in  the 
Castellani  Collection,  exhibited  at  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  New  York, 
some  exquisite  examples  of  Greek  and  Greco-Roman  engraving  upon  copper,  dating 
back  perhaps  three  or  four  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  Those  who  saw  this 
collection  will  not  have  forgotten  the  beautiful  caskets  covered  with  incised  work  of 
the  most  graceful  designs.  These  caskets  were  discovered  in  ancient  tombs  in  Italy, 
and  in  them  were  found  the  appliances  of  the  toilet  either  used  or  to  be  used  by  the 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  29 

since  made  consists  chiefly  in  the  invention  of  new  modes,  such  as 
etching  and  mezzotinto,  and  their  combination  with  the  original 
mode  by  the  burin  alone,  and  also  in  the  later  inventions  of 
mechanical  modes  of  performing  things  which  were  theretofore  per- 
formed by  the  unassisted  hand  of  the  early  professors.  There  is 
not,  therefore,  traceable  a  progressive  advance  in  excellence,  from 
infant  efforts  to  a  mature  perfection,  which,  indeed,  would  be  most 
pleasing  to  witness,  and  would,  perhaps,  if  it  existed,  give  a  decided 
preference  to  the  chronological  system  of  arrangement  over  all 
others.  This  leads  to  the  observation  that  it  would  be  very  desira- 
ble, if  it  were  practicable,  to  arrange,  in  chronological  order,  the 
works  of  each  individual  artist,  because  of  the  great  interest  which 
there  would  be  in  watching  his  progress  from  pupilage  to  his  best 
style  ;  but  it  is  only  some  few  artists  who  have  dated  their  works, 
and  these  only  occasionally.  Indeed,  it  must  be  confessed  that, 
comparing  with  one  another,  prints  of  the  same  artist,  bearing 

ladies  at  whose  sepulchres  they  had  been  deposited.  Perhaps  the  most  lovely  of  the 
engraved  subjects  were  upon  the  backs  of  the  metal  mirrors,  and  representing  scenes 
in  the  life  of  Venus  and  kindred  subjects.  As  one  examined  them  it  seemed  as 
though  the  idea  of  repeating  them  by  means  of  impression  upon  some  softer  sub- 
stance must  have  occurred  to  the  authors.  It  was  not,  however,  so  far  as  we  have  any 
existing  evidences,  until  the  secret  of  making  paper  had  been  discovered  that  this  was 
practised.  As  soon  as  this  medium  of  reproducing  designs  was  available,  the  inven- 
tion of  the  art  of  engraving,  as  now  recognized,  was  made.  Previous  to  this  no  satis- 
factory substance  was  found  which  could  properly  receive  the  impressions  and  retain 
them  with  any  permanency. 

For  tenacity,  good  quality,  and  durability,  the  paper  made  in  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  has  not  been  surpassed.  The  ancient  Egyptian  papyrus  was 
manifestly  unsuitable  for  receiving  or  retaining  impressions.  Such  paper  as  may  have 
been  made  later  by  Asiatic  nations  does  not  seem  to  have  found  its  way  to  Furope. 
Vellum  was  the  only  substance  known  in  the  thirteenth  century  capable  of  receiving 
and  retaining  a  printed  impression,  but  the  difficulty  found  in  its  use,  owing  to  its 
unevenness  and  the  extreme  skill  required  in  its  manipulation,  together  with  its  sus- 
ceptiblity  to  become  distorted  through  the  influence  of  moisture  or  heat,  when  exposed 
in  single  sheets,  probably  prevented  its  extensive  use  by  the  printer  of  engravings. 


30  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

different  and  distant  dates,  it  by  no  means  appears  that  the  best 
works  were  executed  last,  or  that  the  degree  of  excellence  corre- 
sponds with  the  march  of  time.  Some  have  shown  very  precocious 
talent,  such  as  Jerome  Wierinx,  who  executed,  at  the  early  age  of 
twelve  years,  a  most  accurate  tend  admirable  copy  of  an  engraving 
by  Albert  Diirer.  The  print  by  Lucas  van  Leyden,  of  "  Sergius 
killed  by  Mahomet,"  was  executed  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 

It  may  be  going  too  far  into  detail  to  speak  of  the  mode  of 
arranging,  among  themselves,  the  works  of  each  individual  artist  ; 
yet,  with  those  whose  prints  are  voluminous,  this  point  will  require 
the  attention  of  the  collector.  Where  dates  do  not  occur  suffi- 
ciently frequent  to  allow  of  a  chronological  arrangement,  the  usual 
practice  is,  and  this  practice  indeed  is  often  adopted  in  preference 
to  any  other,  to  class  by  subjects  ;  placing  all  portraits  together, 
all  scriptural  subjects  together,  all  landscapes  together,  and  so  of 
the  rest,  and  placing  the  scriptural  subjects  according  to  historical 
chronology.  The  mention  of  this  interior  arrangement  suggests  a 
question,  which  may  perhaps  arise,  also,  in  the  mind  of  the  reader, 
how  far  it  might  be  advisable,  or  not,  to  adopt  this  mode  of  classi- 
fication by  subject  only,  as  the  general  or  primary  arrangement  of 
all  prints  whatever.  One  advantage  would  certainly  attend  such  a 
system  ;  it  would  better  enable  the  exhibitor  of  a  collection  to  con- 
sult the  fancy  of  a  mixed  assembly,  whom  he  might  wish  to  amuse 
with  a  portfolio  ;  he  might  inquire  of  one  or  another  whether  they 
would  prefer  to  see  landscapes,  or  portraits,  or  figures,  or  what 
else.  But,  beyond  this,  no  advantage  appears  to  arise,  and  this 
single  one  is  counterbalanced  by  inconveniences.  Several  artists, 
Hollar,  for  instance,  and  Rembrandt,  would  be  scattered  about 
through  every  folio,  not  to  mention  the  sameness  which  would  be 
felt  for  want  of  variation  of  subject.  This  sameness  is  indeed  suffi- 
ciently irksome  when  this  plan  of  arrangement  is  adopted  with  the 
works  of  even  one  artist.  A  whole  series  of  one  subject,  and  that 
so  hackneyed  a  subject  as  to  be  incapable  of  much,  if  any,  variety, 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  31 

occurs  in  tedious  succession,  and  has  been  found,  indeed,  to 
amount  to  a  decided  objection  to  thus  classing  prints.  In  Albert 
Diirer's  works,  for  instance,  the  subject  of  the  "  Madonna  and 
Child"  occurs  upwards  of  twenty  times.  Although,  therefore,  the 
works  of  individual  artists  are  generally,  and  indeed  almost  invaria- 
bly, arranged  with  reference  to  subject  only,  such  a  mode  has  never 
been  resorted  to  for  general  classification. 

By  the  observations  which  have  been  made,  the  young  collector 
will  perceive  that  he  has  considerable  option  as  to  the  line  in  which 
he  may  choose  to  collect,  that  he  can,  if  he  please,  with  perfect 
propriety,  confine  his  pursuit  within  very  moderate  limits,  and  yet 
become  possessed  of  a  very  reputable  collection,  within  the  class 
which  he  may  choose  to  elect  ;  and  there  is  many  a  collector,  with 
a  high  reputation  as  such,  who,  nevertheless,  has  never  touched 
above  two  or  three,  or  it  may  be  only  one,  of  the  divisions  into 
which  the  great  mass  of  materials  are,  as  has  been  seen,  capable  of 
being  divided.  Thus,  one  collector  may  enjoy  a  reputation  on 
account  of  his  Dutch  etchings,  or  even  his  Rembrandts  alone  ; 
another,  on  account  of  his  early  Italian,  or  even  his  Marc  Antonios 
alone  ;  another,  on  account  of  portraits,  whether  his  British  or  his 
foreign  portraits  ;  another  may  be  eminent  for  his  early  German, 
his  Martin  Schoens,  Van  Mecklens,  and  that  class.  The  divisions 
and  sub-divisions  that  have  been  enumerated,  and  others  that  may 
suggest  themselves,  are  capable  of  having  changes  rung  among 
them  so  as  to  afford  great  variety  of  choice,  and,  whatever  plan  be 
adopted  at  the  offset,  it  may  always  be  extended  by  the  addition 
of  some  congruous  class  ;  and  a  collector  will  find  that  he  may  thus 
proceed,  and  indeed  the  difficulty  is  to  resist  the  temptation  to 
proceed,  till  he  attain  the  utmost  limit  that  his  means  will  afford, 
and,  if  these  be  ample,  the  utmost  limit  to  which  the  most  extensive 
collection  can  be  carried,  or,  which  is  the  great  advantage  of  com- 
mencing with  a  system,  he  may,  at  any  time,  stop  short  of  further 
extending  his  plan,  content  to  occupy  himself  in  making  complete 
the  class  which  has  been  his  choice  of  pursuit. 


CHAPTER   III. 

OF   THE   SELECTION   OF   SPECIMENS. 

IT  is  not  meant  that  the  title  of  this  chapter  should  infer  that 
advice  is  about  to  be  offered,  at  this  time,  as  to  the  selecting,  from 
the  works  of  any  given  master,  the  best  or  most  characteristic 
specimens  of  his  merit,  skill,  and  manner.  As  yet,  our  young  col- 
lector is  not  supposed  to  have  decided  upon  the  class,  even,  in  which 
he  would  commence  ;  much  less,  then,  can  it  be  foreseen  who  the 
artists  may  prove  to  be  from  whose  works  he  would  select  speci- 
mens. By  selection  of  specimens  is  meant,  on  the  present  occa- 
sion, that  which,  if  speaking  of  usual  articles  offered  for  sale  in  a 
shop,  might  be  called  the  choosing  and  picking  out  the  best  of  the 
sort,  one  well-made  and  perfect.  Specimens  of  the  works  of 
engravers  ought,  invariably,  to  have  certain  perfections,  and  to  be 
free  from  certain  imperfections  ;  and  these  we  now  proceed  to  con- 
sider. 

Every  print,  admitted  into  a  collection,  ought  to  have  three  quali- 


THE  PR1XT  COLLECTOR.  33 

fications.  It  should  be,  first,  an  early  impression  ;  secondly,  a  good 
impression  ;  and,  thirdly,  in  good  condition.  An  early  impression 
and  a  good  impression  are  by  no  means  convertible  terms  ;  a  good 
impression,  indeed,  cannot  be  other  than  an  early  impression,  but  it 
does  not  always  follow  that,  because  an  impression  is  an  early  one, 
it  is  therefore  a  good  one.  The  importance  of  earliness  of  impres- 
sion will  be  perceived,  when  the  effect  is  considered  which  results 
from  taking  off  many  prints  from  a  plate  ;  the  continual  rubbing  of 
the  workman's  hands,  in  wiping  the  plate  on  every  occasion  of  tak- 
ing off  an  impression,  very  soon  rounds  the  sharp  edges  of  the 
engraving,  and,  by  degrees,  wears  down  the  surface  ;  the  more  deli- 
cate parts  become  faint  and  fainter,  and  at  length  broken  and  al- 
most obliterated  ;  the  stronger-worked  parts  become  confused,  the 
intersecting  lines  breaking  into  one  another,  and  impressions  now 
taken  from  the  plate  are  massy  and  clouded,  and  deficient  in  dis- 
tinctness and  gradation  of  shade.  If  the  plate  be  reduced  to  this 
state  before  the  demand  of  the  public  for  the  print  be  satisfied,  the 
artist  sets  to  work  to  repair,  or,  as  it  is  technically  called,  "re- 
touch" the  plate  ;  he  goes  over  the  most  worn  parts,  or,  perhaps, 
the  whole  of  it,  with  the  tool,  restoring  and  strengthening  the  orig- 
inal, and  sometimes  inserting  additional  work  in  the  way  of 
"cross-hatchings,"  a  technical  term,  implying  lines  drawn  across 
former  lines,  or  otherwise,  to  produce,  as  he  imagines,  a  better 
effect.  This  retouching  is  sometimes  done  by  the  original  artist, 
and  sometimes  by  other  artists,  into  whose  hands  the  plate  may 
have  got  ;  and  there  are  plates  which  have  passed  from  hand  to 
hand,  from  generation  to  generation,  retouched  as  often  as  reworn  ; 
plates  executed  two,  or  even  three,  hundred  years  ago,  do  exist  at 
the  present  day.  By  this  retouching,  when  first  performed,  and 
that  by  a  judicious  and  able  hand,  a  worn  plate  is  made  to  produce 
impressions,  that,  to  an  inexperienced  eye,  may  be  mistaken  for 
early  prints  from  the  plate  in  its  original  state  ;  and,  indeed,  in 
many  cases,  a  careful  examination,  by  a  practised  judge,  is  neces- 


34  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

sary  to  detect  retouchings,  and  the  experience  which  is  required  for 
this  is  not  to  be  taught  by  precept. 

With  respect,  however,  to  the  very  earliest  impressions  taken 
from  the  plate,  there  are,  in  most  cases,  certain  decided  character- 
istics which  may  be  relied  upon,  with  more  or  less  confidence,  as 
guarantees  of  earliness  of  impression  ;  and  a  print,  possessing 
these,  ever  bears  a  higher  proportionate  price,  by  reason  of  this  ad- 
vantage, or  of  the  supposed  superiority  evidenced  by  it.  It  has 
ever  been  the  custom  of  engravers,  from  time  to  time,  as  they  pro- 
ceed with  their  work,  to  take  off  an  impression,  that  they  may  bet- 
ter see  their  progress  ;  and  when  their  engraving  approaches 
towards  final  completion,  or  becomes  quite  finished,  all  but  the 
addition  of  the  name  or  mark  of  the  artist,  or  of  the  publisher,  or 
of  an  inscription  perhaps,  such  as,  if  a  portrait,  the  name  of  the 
person  represented,  they  generally  take  off  a  few  impressions,  in 
order  that  themselves  and  their  friends  may  judge  of  the  effect  of 
the  work,  and  whether  or  no  it  be  capable  of  any  alteration  or  im- 
provement. The  impressions,  thus  taken  off  for  proving  the  per- 
fection of  the  work,  are  called,  from  the  object  of  taking  them, 
"  proofs,"  and  such  a  print  bears  on  the  face  of  it,  therefore,  evi- 
dence of  earliness  of  impression.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the  dis- 
tinction which,  in  modern  days,  one  is  accustomed  to  see  made,  in 
every  advertisement  of  every  new  print  published,  of  "  proof  before 
letters,"  "  open  letter  proof,"  and  then  "  plain  prints,"  and  these 
variations  and  others,  such  as  "  India-paper  proof,"  bear  gradation 
of  price,  according  to  the  assumed  or  promised  earliness  of  the  im- 
pression. It  is,  perhaps,  to  be  regretted  that  a  practice,  which  was 
originally  resorted  to  for  no  other  purpose  than  the  honest  satisfac- 
tion of  the  artist's  anxiety  for  his  fair  reputation,  should  have 
degenerated  into  a  means  of  traffic  ;  the  number  of  proofs  of  differ- 
ent kinds  is  no  longer  confined  to  the  very  few  necessary  to  be 
taken  for  satisfying  the  original  intent,  implied  in  the  term,  or  for 
presentation  copies  to  the  artist's  friends  or  patrons,  but  is  regu- 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  35 

lated  solely  by  what  the  expectation  may  be  of  the  public  demand, 
with  reference  also,  but  not  always  due  reference,  to  what  the  plate 
will  bear. 

When  Ferdinand  Miiller,  at  Dresden,  brought  home  to  his  em- 
ployer, Rittner,  the  publisher,  the  first  proof  of  his  beautiful 
engraving  of  the  "  Madonna  di  S.  Sisto,"  the  mercantile  man 
shook  his  head,  and  told  the  artist  that  he  must  go  over  the  whole 
of  the  plate  again,  and  retouch  it  throughout,  for  that  such  deli- 
cate work  would  not  throw  off  a  sufficient  number  of  impressions  to 
answer  the  trade  purposes  ;  Muller's  remonstrances  were  in  vain, 
and  he  was  compelled  to  rework  his  plate  :  at  every  touch  he  felt 
that  he  was  sacrificing  genius  to  gain  ;  he  completed  the  labor  im- 
posed upon  him,  but  did  not  live  to  see  a  print  taken  off  ;  he  sunk 
under  the  dispiriting  task,  fell  a  victim  to  the  vexation,  and  died 
broken-hearted,  on  the  very  day,  as  happened,  on  which  the  first 
proof  impression  of  the  retouched  plate  was  rolled  off  at  Paris. 

The  same  mercenary,  or  at  least  mercantile,  spirit,  which  rules 
all  the  world's  transactions  at  the  present  day,  has  induced  dishon- 
est people  to  resort,  occasionally,  to  practices,  by  which  the  young 
collector  is  deprived,  in  the  case  of  modern  prints,  of  the  criterion 
of  earliness  of  impression,  which  has  just  been  mentioned  as  availa- 
ble, with  respect  to  prints  from  copper-plates  no  longer  in  exist- 
ence. Instances  have  occurred  of  popular  plates,  after  being  pretty 
well  worn  out,  getting  into  the  hands  of  persons  who  have  not  only 
retouched  them,  but  have  rubbed  down  and  obliterated  the  inscrip- 
tion, or  avoided  printing  it,  by  interposing  a  slip  of  paper,  or  by 
some  like  expedient,  and  have  issued  impressions  of  the  plate  in 
this  state  as  original  proofs. 

But,  leaving  this  unpleasant  subject,  let  us  return  to  the  notice 
of  the  ancient,  and  very  natural  and  intelligible,  resort  of  the  zeal- 
ous desire  of  perfection,  which  influenced  the  artist  of  old,  who, 
considering  his  chief  meed  to  be  reputation  rather  than  hire,  took, 
as  has  been  observed,  a  few,  and  but  a  fc\v,  impressions  before 


36  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

finally  dismissing  his  copper  from  his  hand.  These  are  still  called 
by  the  name  of  "  proofs,"  but  more  generally  "  first  states  ;"  and, 
where  the  artist  may  have  taken  impressions  of  his  work  at  differ- 
ent times,  as  he  proceeded  to  the  finish,  and  which  is  not  uncom- 
mon, there  appear,  not  first  states  only,  but  second  states,  and 
third  states,  and  even  more.  Thus  a  first  state  may  be  that  in 
which  the  subject  is  only  sketched  in  a  little  more  than  outline  ;  a 
second  state  may  be  that  in  which  all  the  shadows  are  in,  and  the 
print  apparently  finished  ;  a  third  state  may  be  where  the  engraver 
has  deepened  some  shadows  by  additional  work  ;  or  the  same  state, 
or  further  states,  may  have  the  distinction  of  some  little  alteration, 
or  of  the  name  or  monogram  of  the  artist,  or  an  inscription,  or  (if 
one  print  of  a  series)  a  number  in  the  corner,  or  the  name  of  a  pub- 
lisher. 

Sometimes,  and,  indeed,  generally  in  early  periods  of  the  art, 
the  artist  was  his  own  publisher,  and  no  name  of  publisher  appears 
on  the  print  but  his  own  name  only  or  monogram.  Of  monograms 
mention  will  again  be  incidentally  made  hereafter  ;  the  word  signi- 
fies a  fanciful  device  or  initial  letter,  invented  or  chosen  by  the 
engraver,  by  which  to  designate  his  performances,  instead  of  in- 
scribing on  them  his  name  at  length.  Sometimes,  however,  and 
especially  in  later  times,  the  artist  is  not  himself  the  publisher,  but 
deputes  that  office  to  another,  or  perhaps  works  for,  and  under,  his 
publisher,  who  is  the  principal  personage.  It  has  happened,  also, 
not  unfrequently,  that,  after  the  first  demand  of  the  public  is  satis- 
fied, and  the  print  has  required  retouching,  the  artist,  or  first  pub- 
lisher, has  disposed  of  the  plate  to  one  who  becomes  a  second  pub- 
lisher, and  he,  after  a  while,  to  a  third,  each  of  whom,  in  succes- 
sion, has  added,  or  rather  substituted,  his  own  name,  or,  as  it  is 
technically  called,  "address."  From  these  circumstances  there 
arises  another  criterion  of  comparatively  early  impression,  and  deal- 
ers and  collectors  speak  of  a  print  as  being  "  before  any  address," 
or  with  the  "first  address."  Hence,  also,  it  arises  that  the 


THE  I'KIXT  COLLECTOR.  37 

retouch  is  not  always  done  by  the  engraver  himself,  but  by  some 
other  hand  into  whose  possession  the  plate  has  fallen,  for  many  of 
the  publishers  of  former  times  were  themselves  also  artists.  The 
names  of  the  re-publishers  have  their  respective  grades  of  estima- 
tion :  some  there  are  who  are  observed  not  to  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  taking  to  a  plate,  or  subscribing  their  address  to  it,  unless 
while  it  continued  in  a  fair  state  ;  others  are  found  to  have  been  in 
the  practice  of  taking  to  such  plates  only  as  were  to  be  had  cheap, 
from  being  impaired  beyond  the  power  of  yielding  further  tolerable 
impressions.  Thus  a  "  Vanderenden"  impression  implies  a  respect- 
able state  of  the  plate,  while,  to  have  the  address  of  "  Antonio 
Salamanca"  or  "  Thomassin,"  creates  the  idea  that  the  impression 
spoken  of  is,  probably,  of  very  middling  degree. 

One  class  of  engravings  there  is,  wherein  the  great  characteristic 
of  early  impression  is  the  greater  or  less  appearance  of   what  is 
called   "burr."     This  term   applies  principally,    if  not  solely,    to 
plates  in  which  the  dry  point  has  been  much  employed.     This  in- 
strument being  a  point  merely  without  any  clean-cutting  edge,  the 
effect  of  it  is  to  raise,  in  its  operation  of  ploughing  through  the 
copper,   a  rough,   wiry  edge   on   either   side  of  the   line  which  it 
describes.     This  may  be  readily  smoothed  away  ;  but  if   impres- 
sions be  taken  from  the  plate  without  this  having  been  done,  they 
have  a  peculiar  appearance  :  the  lines,  instead  of  being  cleanly  de- 
fined and  distinct  the  one  from  the  other,  appear  furred,  something 
like  what  is  produced  by  attempting  to  draw  strong  lines  with  writ- 
ing-ink on  damp  paper  ;  and  a  soft,  rich  velvety  effect    is  given, 
which  is  especially  remarkable  in  the  lines  terminating  or  crossing 
the  broad  lights.     By  continuing  to  take  impressions  from  the  plate, 
the  rough  edge  soon  wears  down,  the  burr  grows  less  and  less  as 
this  takes  place,  and,  finally,  disappears  altogether  ;  and  the  prints 
taken  in  this  state  will  be  found  to  have  lost  much  of  their  richness 
of  effect.     What  the  precise  state  of  the  plate  may  be,  from  which 
the  true  lover  of  art,  for  itself,  would  prefer  to  select  an  impression, 


3**  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

is  not  here  the  question.  He  would,  perhaps,  not  select  the  very 
earliest  impressions,  for,  in  some  prints,  the  burr  so  predominates 
in  these  as  to  form  patches  of  black,  and  often  obscure  the  design  ; 
but  he  will  probably  rather  wait  till  the  plate  is  so  far  worked,  as 
that  there  still  remains  .sufficient  burr  to  give  a  rich  fulness  to  the 
effect,  but,  at  the  same  time,  not  so  much  as  to  be  an  imperfection 
rather  than  a  beauty.  Be  this  as  it  may,  we  must,  meantime,  be 
content  to  be  ruled  by  the  canon  of  criticism  ;  and  here,  unques- 
tionably, the  sole  and  peremptory  rule  is,  that  the  more  suffused  or 
suffocated  with  burr  the  impression  is,  the  higher  is  its  estima- 
tion. 

Prints  from  engravings  on  wood  afford  frequently  undeniable 
evidence  of  lateness  of  impression,  by  interruptions  appearing  in 
the  lines  of  the  work,  occasioned  by  the  relief  work  on  the  block 
having  been  broken  away  in  parts,  or  indented,  or  otherwise 
injured,  by  the  operation  of  printing,  or  by  accident.  Until  these 
imperfections  occur,  the  difference  between  early  and  late  impres- 
sions of  an  engraved  block  is,  by  no  means,  so  striking  as  in  cop- 
per-plate engraving.  Some  of  the  blocks  of  Albert  Durer's  prints 
still  exist  ;  and  Mr.  Ottley,  in  his  "  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  and 
early  History  of  Engraving,"  has  published  impressions  from  these 
old  blocks  taken  at  this  day,  and  which,  from  the  improved  method 
of  printing,  show  as  well,  if  not  better,  in  all  parts  where  they  are 
sound,  than  the  old  impressions.  Wooden  blocks  are  capable  of 
throwing  off  a  prodigious  number  of  impressions.  When  Papillon 
published  his  work  on  wood-engraving,  he  borrowed,  for  the  illus- 
tration of  it,  blocks  which  he  had  long  before  engraved  for  different 
customers.  He  assures  us  that  one  of  these  borrowed  blocks  had 
then  already,  when  he  began  to  use  it  for  that  publication,  given 
off  four  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  impressions.  It  is  difficult 
to  give  credit  to  this  and  similar  assertions  of  Papillon,  because  the 
number  stated  is  so  vastly  beyond  what  it  is  possible  to  conceive  the 
public  demand  to  have  been  ;  but  he  is  speaking  of  head  and  tail 


- ••   . -•  •.•••  -. 


FROM  THK  ORICINAI.  BKWICK  HLOCKS. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  39 

pieces,   used  as  printers'  ornaments  throughout  all  their  publica- 
tions.* 

^It  is  clear,  from  what  has  been  said,  that  there  do  exist  means, 
to  a  certain  extent,  of  judging  of  earliness  of  impression  in  the  case 
of  ancient  prints  of  which  different  states  exist,  or  which  admit  of 

*  At  the  date  of  the  original  publication  of  Mr.  Maberly's  book  (1844),  what  might  be 
styled  the  modern  school  of  wood  engraving  had  only  reached  its  earliest  stages  of  de- 
velopment. The  wood  blocks  by  the  old  masters,  and  after  their  designs,  were  executed 
in  a  bold  and  coarse  manner.  The  lines  were  heavy,  the  shadows  massive,  and  the  work 
was  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  material  upon  which  it  was  wrought.  Early  in  the 
present  century  a  revival  in  wood  engraving  commenced  ;  for  one  hundred  years  pre- 
vious very  little  had  been  done.  Thomas  Bewick,  who  flourished  from  about  1775  to 
1818,  was  among  the  pioneers  of  the  new  era.  His  works  show  in  their  execution  the 
influence  of  the  German  and  French  masters,  but  he  added  a  peculiar  refinement  and 
subtlety  of  treatment  more  in  keeping  with  the  age  in  which  he  lived,  and  gave  his 
works  a  touch  of  sentiment  and  individuality  alike  charming  and  original.  Some  of 
his  engravings  may  be  taken  as  models  upon  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  improve  in 
any  age.  After  him  came  a  host  of  imitators  and  engravers,  some  of  whom  have 
attained  to  great  technical  skill.  The  methods  of  treatment  have  become  more  and 
more  elaborate,  until  it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  a  greater  delicacy  of  lines,  even 
upon  copper  or  steel.  Of  course  the  finer  the  cutting  the  less  ability  the  wood  block 
has  to  resist  injury  or  the  wear  incident  to  printing  from  it.  In  order  to  preserve  this 
delicacy,  the  process  of  stereotyping  was  employed.  This  consists  in  taking  moulds  of 
the  wood  blocks  in  fine  prepared  clay,  and  then  casting  from  them  in  type-metal 
(composed  mainly  of  lead)  plates  which  are  very  exact  copies  of  the  wood  blocks,  and 
capable  of  working  off  a  great  number  of  impressions  before  wearing  out. 

A  still  later  and  very  ingenious  invention  consists  in  taking  wax  moulds  of  the  wood 
blocks,  and  depositing  upon  their  surface,  by  means  of  the  galvanic  battery,  a  thin 
shell  or  film  of  copper  ;  this  is  in  turn  "  backed"  or  filled  in  with  type-metal  to  give 
the  necessary  solidity,  and  from  the  surface  of  the  copper  an  almost  endless  number 
of  impressions  may  be  had  before  it  becomes  entirely  useless.  The  most  delicate  lines 
possible,  and  which  would  quickly  become  broken  in  the  wood,  can  be  reproduced  by 
this  process.  These  mechanical  facilities  naturally  encourage  a  tendency  to  elabora- 
tion in  the  engraver's  work  ;  but  observation  will  convince  any  one  that  this  is  a 
quality  equally  as  available  for  hiding  the  artistic  weakness  of  the  engraver  as  for 
displaying  his  superior  technical  skill.  A  sound  judgment  will  prefer  the  bold  suggest- 
ive lines  of  the  old  masters  in  wood  engraving  to  most  of  these  labored  productions. 


4°  THE   PRIXT  COLLECTOR. 

the  quality  of  burr  which  has  been  spoken  of  ;  but,  beyond  the  as- 
sistance thus  afforded,  earliness  of  impression  is  to  be  judged  of  by 
experience  only.  This  experience  may  be  considered  of  two  sorts, 
specific  and  general.  By  the  former  is  meant  the  habit  of  seeing 
other  prints  from  the  same  plate,  and  thus  being  able  to  draw  a 
comparison,  by  directly  laying  print  by  print,  side  by  side,  where 
opportunity  offers,  and,  where  it  does  not,  by  carrying  in  the  recol- 
lection prints  before  seen  from  the  same  plate  ;  and  this  latter  help, 
to  be  of  any  real  assistance,  requires  an  eye  much  habituated  to 
compare,  appreciate,  and  class  impressions.  That  which  may  be 
termed  general  experience  is  of  a  more  scientific  and  artist-like 
description.  A  person  having  such  will  generally  be  able  to  detect, 
from  inspection  of  the  print,  though  he  had  never  seen  an  impres- 
sion before,  in  what  manner  the  plate,  from  which  it  has  been  im- 
pressed, is  engraven  ;  that  is  to  say,  whether  it  be  engraved  in  a 
strong  manner  ;  or,  if  an  etching  deeply  bitten,  so  as  to  be  capable 
of  throwing  off  many  good  impressions  ;  or,  whether  it  be  engraved 
in  a  slight  style,  so  that  even  an  early  impression  shall  appear  faint, 
and  liable  to  be  mistaken,  by  an  unpracticed  eye,  for  an  impression 
from  a  worn  plate. 

Lucas  van  Leyden  engraved  with  so  light  a  hand,  that  it  is  very 
rare  to  meet  with  an  impression,  from  any  plate  of  his,  that  does 
not  show  like  what,  in  the  generality  of  prints,  would  be  pronounced 
a  late  impression.  On  the  other  hand,  some  plates  are  so  strongly 
engraved,  that,  unless  in  instances  where  they  happen  to  have 
escaped  destruction  until  modern  times,  all  the  impressions  met  with 
are,  more  or  less,  respectable.  There  are  several  copper-plates, 
engraved  two,  or  even  three,  centuries  ago,  that  have  been  preserved 
to  our  own  time  ;  but  an  impression  taken  from  these,  at  the  pres- 
ent day,  is— quantum  mutatis!  By  the  side  of  an  impression, 
drawn  from  the  plate  in  its  prime,  it  shows  like  the  shade  of  Hector, 
disembodied  in  a  dream,  compared  with  the  substantial  body  of  the 
hero,  in  the  vigor  of  his  earthly  existence. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  41 

This  is  exemplified,  to  name  one  instance  out  of  many,  by  that 
beautiful  work  by  Marc  Antonio,  "  The  Murder  of  the  Innocents," 
after  Raffaelle,  a  copper-plate  engraved  about  three  hundred  and 
thirty  years  ago.  The  perfection  of  the  drawing,  in  this  perform- 
ance, has  ever  occasioned  it  to  be  highly  esteemed  by  artists.  With 
them,  the  composition,  the  design,  and  the  drawing  are  the  objects 
sought  ;  and  as  these  are,  more  or  less,  independent  of  goodness  of 
impression,  that  quality  is  of  less  consideration.  To  supply,  there- 
fore, the  requisitions  of  students  in  art,  this  old  plate  has  been,  from 
time  to  time,  repaired  and  retouched  as  often  as  wanted  ;  and  not 
only  are  prints  taken  from  it  at  the  present  day,  but  it  is  said  to  be 
actually  let  out,  by  the  hour,  at  Rome,  to  such  as  wish  to  take  im- 
pressions from  it. 

It  has  been  already  observed,  that  earliness  of  impression  and 
goodness  of  impression  are  not  convertible  terms.  It  happens  oc- 
casionally that  prints,  which  are,  unquestionably,  early  impressions, 
are,  nevertheless,  not  good  impressions.  This  may  arise  from  any 
one  or  other  of  various  accidents  ;  from  their  being  printed  on  paper 
of  bad  quality,  or  with  ink  of  bad  color  or  consistency  ;  or  from 
some  failure,  fault,  or  accident  in  the  printing.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  art,  there  was,  probably,  no  rolling-press,  or,  if  there  were, 
it  was  not  worked  with  such  precision  and  certainty  as  it  is  in  mod- 
ern days. 

It  is  not  ascertained  when,  or  in  what  country,  the  rolling-press 
was  invented.  There  exist  impressions  taken  in  old  times  from  the 
same  plate,  some  of  which  appear  to  be  printed  by  the  press,  and 
others  by  hand,  that  is,  by  laying  the  paper  on  the  plate,  and  rolling 
or  rubbing  the  back  of  it  ;  and  this  is  the  mode  in  which,  at  this 
day,  wood-engravers  generally  take  their  first  proofs.  There  are  in- 
stances of  the  same  artist  employing  both  methods  ;  hence  it  hap- 
pens, that  of  some  few  ancient  prints  there  are,  what  may  be  called, 
two  editions.  Examples  of  this  occur  in  the  works  of  Nicoletto  de 
Modena,  Antonio  da  Brescia,  and  Andrea  Mantegna. 


42  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Sometimes  a  print  appears  with  what  is  called  a  "  shake,"  which 
is  occasioned  by  any  accidental  movement  of  the  paper  during  the 
operation  of  printing,  and  which  produces  a  sort  of  doubling  in 
every  part.  This  appearance  of  doubling  may  be  occasioned  by  the 
imperfection  of  the  rolling-press,  or  the  imperfect  skill  of  the 
printer,  or  from  one  or  other  of  these  imperfections  having  made 
it  necessary  to  pass  the  plate  through  the  press  twice.  Sometimes 
the  pressure  has  acted  unequally,  printing  stronger  in  some  parts 
than  in  others  ;  sometimes  the  workman  has  neglected  to  wipe  the 
copper  sufficiently,  or  with  proper  caution. 

A  crease  or  fold  in  the  paper  is  also  of  common  occurrence  ; 
and,  still  more  common,  little  unevennesses,  occasioned  by  specks 
of  dust,  straw,  or  other  extraneous  matter,  becoming  accidentally 
bedded  in  the  substance  of  the  paper  at  the  time  of  its  manufacture. 
If  a  hair  happen  to  be  in  the  paper,  it  often  comes  away  in  the 
printing,  and,  having  intercepted  the  ink,  leaves  white  the  place 
where  it  lay,  in  the  shape  of  a  curved  or  irregular,  wriggling  line. 
Sometimes  white  specks  appear  ;  these  are,  probably,  occasioned 
by  small  globules  of  air  getting  confined  under  the  ink  on  the  inking 
of  the  plate,  and  which,  by  the  warmth  communicated  by  the 
chafing-dish,  explode,  and  blow  off  the  ink  which  confined  them. 
When  these  white  lines  or  specks  happen  in  a  mass  of  dark  shadow, 
they  attract  the  eye,  and  are  very  unpleasant  ;  and  it  is  a  common 
and  unobjectionable  practice  to  touch  them  with  color,  as  near  the 
tint  of  the  ink  as  may  be.  The  well-printing  was  considered  by 
the  old  engravers  to  be  of  such  importance,  that  many  of  them  were 
themselves  the  printers.  Rembrandt  is  known  to  have  had  a 
rolling-press  in  his  own  house,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  this 
was  a  common  practice,  and,  among  more  ancient  artists,  was  prob- 
ably universal.  The  quality  of  the  paper,  even  when  the  best  of 
the  sort  is  used,  very  frequently  makes  considerable  difference  in 
the  effect  of  a  print.  Many  artists,  Rembrandt  especially,  were  in 
the  habit  of  taking  their  early  proofs  on  what  is  called  India  paper. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  43 

It  was,  probably,  manufactured  in  China.  It  is  a  paper  of  a  thick 
substance,  but  of  very  fine  silky  texture,  and  of  a  warm  color  ;  it 
seems  to  have  the  quality  of  imbibing  the  ink  much  better  than 
paper  of  any  other  description,  and  in  most  instances,  but  not  with- 
out exceptions,  impressions  taken  upon  it  have  certainly  a  very  de- 
cided advantage.  It  has  the  further  very  valuable  peculiarity  of  not 
being  subject  to  mildew. 

Next  to  impression  is  to  be  regarded  the  condition  of  the  print. 
The  generality  of  ancient  prints  are  found  to  be  wholly,  or  in  great 
measure,  denuded  of  their  margin.  This  is  so  usual,  that  the  cir- 
cumstance of  having  any  margin  left,  though  but  an  eighth  of  an 
inch,  enhances  the  value  of  the  print.  No  one  would  venture  to 
subject  himself  to  be  charged  with  what  connoisseurs  and  dealers 
would  consider  such  Gothic  barbarity  as  the  cutting  off  or  diminish- 
ing an  iota  of  margin  of  any  print,  even  of  a  modern  print,  of  im- 
portance, while  in  the  portfolio,  even  though  the  margin  be  some 
inches  wide  ;  but  the  margin,  if  any  be  left,  of  an  ancient  print,  is 
a  sanctuary  :  it  is  measured,  when  spoken  of  in  catalogues,  by 
lines,  or  tenths  of  an  inch  ;  and  a  genuine  collector  would  as  soon 
think  of  cutting  a  print  in  half  as  of  depriving  it  of  a  hair's  breadth 
of  its  remainder  of  margin.  So  important  is  this  possession  of 
margin,  that  it  is  not  unusual  to  find  a  false  margin  substituted 
where  a  print  has  been  close  shaven.  This  is  done  by  ingeniously 
inlaying  the  print  in  a  sheet  of  paper  of  corresponding  color,  text- 
ure, and  substance.  This  is  often  very  adroitly  performed  ;  the 
very  imprint  is  imitated  of  the  sunken  line  formed  by  the  edges  of 
the  copper,  under  the  heavy  pressure  of  the  rolling-press,  and  a 
nice  examination  is  sometimes  necessary  to  detect  the  imposition. 

There  are,  nevertheless,  persons  who  venture  to  set  at  defiance 
the  canon  of  the  law-givers  of  vertu,  and  boldly  declare  that  the 
appearance  of  a  print  is  actually  improved  by  being  shorn  close, 
and  mounted,  as  the  custom  is,  on  a  sheet  of  stiff  paper  ;  and, 
certainly,  there  must  once  have  been  a  whole  people  of  col- 


44  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

lectors,  who  came  to  the  determination  that  this  was  so,  and  acted 
upon  it  with  unflinching  constancy,  leaving  us  the  effect,  now  so  uni- 
versally appearing,  of  their  unsparing  shears.  Whether  the  practice 
was  prevalent  elsewhere  may  be  a  question,  but  we  are  obliged  to 
confes.c  that  we  know  that  the  English  collectors,  of  half  a  century 
back,  were  in  the  habit  of  cutting  down  all  their  prints  to  within  the 
plate  mark.  After  all,  it  still  remains  a  fair  question,  as  matter  of 
taste,  whether,  considered  in  itself,  the  cutting  off  a  margin  be  so 
barbarous  as  now  esteemed,  or  whether  it  do  not  enable  the  print  to 
be  set  off  to  better  advantage  ? 

Another  important  matter  is  to  be  careful  that  the  print  be  free 
from  the  effect  of  accident.  It  should  be  seen  that  it  is  clear  from 
grease-spot,  droppings  of  wax,  finger-marks  of  oil  or  varnish,  which 
often  occur  where  the  impression  happens  to  have  formed  subject  of 
study  for  a  painter  in  oil,  and  from  other  stain  or  soil. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  thought  superfluous  to  notice  such  things  as 
these,  because  they  may  be  supposed  to  be  sufficiently  obvious  to 
every  purchaser,  so  that  he  cannot  need  to  be  cautioned  to  avoid 
them.  But  this  is  not  quite  so  ;  unless  actually  looked  for  they  may 
often  escape  notice.  Amid  the  general  admiration  of  the  print,  the 
interest  created  by  the  subject,  the  attention  to  its  more  important 
qualities,  and,  sometimes,  the  eagerness  to  obtain  possession,  little 
soils  and  imperfections  may  fail  to  attract  the  eye,  especially  if  ex- 
pedients have  been  resorted  to  to  conceal  them  ;  and  it  is  well, 
therefore/to  impress  on  the  young  collector  the  necessity  of  having 
his  attention  ever  awake  to  this  point. 

It  must  be  observed,  however,  though  this  may,  perhaps,  startle 
the  reader,  that  an  appearance  of  dirtiness  is  not  always  objection- 
able, but  the  contrary.  There  is  occasionally  a  smearing  on  a  print, 
which  is  a  characteristic  of  an  early  impression.  This  is  what  is 
called  by  the  French  "  fond  sale."  It  is  occasioned  by  the  engrav- 
ing having  been  made  on  a  copper-plate  imperfectly  burnished,  or, 
perhaps,  not  at  all.  In  the  course  of  working  off  impressions  the 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  45 

plate  gets  smoothed  down  ;  but,  meanwhile,  the  rougher  surface  of 
the  copper  retains  thin  portions  of  the  ink,  which  print  off  with  the 
rest,  and  show  like  a  dirty  wash  or  smearing.  Rembrandt's  Mill, 
his  large  unfinished  St.  Jerome,  and  many  others  that  might  be 
named,  afford  instances  of  this,  the  earliest  impressions  being  the 
dirtiest. 

A  print  is  always  considered  depreciated  by  being  what  is  called 
"  laid  down  ;"  that  is,  by  having  a  piece  of  paper  pasted  at  the 
back,  as  if  by  way  of  strengthening  it.  The  first  idea  suggested  by 
this  is,  that  there  were  certain  damages  which  rendered  this  neces- 
sary, and  a  rigorous  examination,  against  the  light,  takes  place  to 
ascertain  the  place  and  extent  of  these.  Whether  there  be  any  such 
or  not,  or  whether  the  laying  down  has  been  from  mere  want  of 
judgment  or  over-care,  which  maybe  the  case,  still  the  circumstance 
is  considered  sufficient  to  authorize  suspicion,  and  all  suspicion 
tends  to  depreciation  of  value. 

To  have  been  cleaned  or  repaired,  is  another  circumstance  that 
prejudices  a  print  in  the  eye  of  a  collector.  The  cleaning  of  a  print 
is  sometimes  performed  by  chemical  means,  and  where  these  are 
resorted  to,  great  experience,  judgment,  and  care  are  necessary  in 
the  operation  ;  and,  however  nicely  it  may  be  performed,  yet,  if 
there  has  been  much  to  do,  the  experienced  eye^vill  perceive,  from 
the  general  appearance,  tone,  and  color,  that  the  print  has  been 
submitted  to  this  process.  It  generally  roughens  the  surface  of  the 
paper,  and  gives  it  a  sort  of  impoverished  or  sickly  appearance,""  and, 
although  it  is  said  not  to  injure  the  print,  yet,  unless  it  be  done  so 
as  to  escape  detection  or  suspicion,  it  certainly  does  injure  the  print  ; 
for  even  admitting,  which,  however,  cannot  be  admitted,  that  it 

*  In  order  to  overcome  the  rough  appearance  occasioned  by  cleaning,  the  prints  arc 
often  pressed  with  a  hot  flat-iron  ;  an  objectionable  process  even  when  conducted  with 
care  and  judgment,  as  it  gives  an  unnatural  smoothness  to  the  surface,  and  an  undue 
lustre  to  the  ink.  It  is  best  to  avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  possession  of  prints 
which  have  been  restored  or  cleaned. 


46  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

may  do  no  actual  detriment  to  it  as  a  work  of  art,  yet  it  does  de- 
preciate it  as  an  article  of  marketable  value. 

Very  great,  nay,  wonderful,  ingenuity,  has  at  times  been  exer- 
cised in  repairing  prints.  If  part  of  the  surface,  for  instance,  has 
been  abraded,  or  even  a  piece  of  the  print  torn  away,  there  are  art- 
ists, if  such  they  can  be  called,  who  contrive  to  supply,  with  pen 
and  ink,  the  defective  parts,  imitating  the  color  of  the  printing  ink 
and  the  line  of  the  graver  with  such  accuracy,  that  a  magnifying- 
glass  is  frequently  required  to  detect  the  imposition  ;  detected,  how- 
ever, it  ever  must  be,  if  sufficient  scrutiny  be  exercised. 

Another  artifice  to  be  guarded  against,  in  the  selection  of  a 
specimen  of  engraving,  is  washing  over  with  Indian  ink  or  color. 
This  is  a  practice  often  adopted  with  middling  or  pretty  good  im- 
pressions of  fine  prints.  When  judiciously  and  well  performed,  it 
has  the  effect  of  making  the  impression  appear  stronger  and  fuller. 
Although,  to  an  eye  of  little  experience  or  insufficient  judgment,  the 
print  may  appear  improved  by  this  operation,  still  the  proprietor  of 
it  must  feel  that  he  has  not  the  satisfaction  of  possessing  the  work 
in  the  same  state  in  which  it  came  from  the  hand  of  the  engraver. 
This  washing  is  sometimes  employed  to  imitate  the  burr  which  has 
been  spoken  of. 

Another  practice  is  to  improve  effect  by  the  application  of  print- 
er's ink.  A  certain  Frenchman  has  obtained  great,  but  not  very 
enviable,  celebrity,  by  his  method  of  making  faint  impressions  ap- 
pear like  strong  ones,  by  actually  going  over  every  line  of  the  print 
with  a  hair  pencil  and  color,  strengthening,  in  due  proportion, 
every  part.  We  have  often  thought  that  it  would  be  a  curious 
speculation  for  gentlemen  fond  of  statistical  calculations,  to  estimate 
what  proportion  of  the  skill  and  industry  of  mankind  is  employed 
for  honest,  and  what  for  dishonest  purposes. 

But  all  these  tricks  are  unable  to  endure  the  ordeal  of  an  atten- 
tive examination  by  an  experienced  connoisseur,  and  a  print,  vamped 
up  in  any  manner,  is  at  once  cast  aside  by  a  careful  collector,  for  it 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  47 

is  not  possible  to  Know,  without  an  expense  of  much  time  and  pains, 
how  many  or  how  great  imperfections  or  defects  may  be  concealed 
under  the  false  face  given  ;  and  where  once  trickery  is  disclosed, 
suspicion  may  warrantably  be  indulged  to  any  extent. 

In  enumerating  the  points  to  be  attended  to  in  the  selection  of 
specimens,  there  is  one  matter  which  has  not  been  adverted  to, 
because  it  is  to  be  assumed,  but  which  may,  however,  be  briefly 
mentioned  ;  namely,  that  the  print  be  an  impression  taken  from  the 
original  plate,  engraved  by  the  master  whose  work  it  professes  to  be, 
and  not  from  any  plate  engraved  in  imitation  of  it.  Such  impres- 
sions are  called,  as  they  strictly  are,  copies  ;  and  these  are  some- 
times so  ingeniously  executed,  that  much  experience  is  necessary  to 
distinguish  them  from  the  originals,  unless  opportunity  be  given  of 
direct  comparison  the  one  with  the  other. 

There  is  a  book,  which  will  be  further  noticed  hereafter,  the 
"  Peintre-Graveur, "  by  Bartsch,  in  which  the  author  has,  for  the 
benefit  of  future  collectors,  given  the  result  of  a  most  laborious  ex- 
amination of  all  the  prints  by  the  artists  of  whose  works  he  treats, 
with  the  copies  which  exist  of  them  ;  all  of  which  copies  he  enu- 
merates and  describes  ;  and  he  has  taken  the  pains  to  compare, 
minutely  and  accurately,  every  line  of  the  original  with  every  line  of 
the  copy,  and  has  noted  down  the  deviations  so  far  as  is  sufficient 
to  discover,  and  proclaim  some  characteristic  token  of  recognition 
and  detection.  In  many  cases,  the  difference  detected  and  thus 
proclaimed  is  so  exceedingly  slight  as  not  to  be  discernible,  even 
when  pointed  out,  unless  by  a  very  sharp  sight  or  with  a  glass.  He 
has  not  only  noted  these  down,  but  has  also,  in  his  book,  given 
prints  on  an  enlarged  scale  of  the  parts  wherein  the  variation  is, 
showing  precisely  in  what  it  consists. 

Copies  of  two  examples,  from  these  plates  of  Bartsch,  are  given. 
The  first  of  the  three  little  weathercocks  is  an  accurate  enlarged 
copy  of  a  small  vane  that  surmounts  a  building,  in  a  print  by  Albert 
Durer,  called  "  the  Nativity  ;"  and  the  other  two  show,  on  an  en- 


48  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

larged  scale  also,  the  variation  made,  in  this  feature,  in  two  different 
copies  of  this  print.  The  size  of  the  plate  is  about  seven  inches  by 
five.  It  is  full  of  minute  work  ;  the  little  weathercock  is,  in  dimen- 
sion, scarcely  one  twentieth  of  an  inch  square,  so  that  the  variation, 
shown  in  the  enlarged  copy,  is,  in  the  original, 
scarcely  perceptible,  except  with  a  magnify- 
ing-glass.  The  other  specimen  in  the  vignette 
is  one  of  the  talons  of  the  left  fore-paw  of  the 
lion  in  the  print,  also  by  Albert  Du'rer,  of 
"  St.  Jerome  in  the  room,"  a  print  nearly  ten 
inches  high  by  more  than  seven  wide,  and  en- 
tirely filled  with  almost  microscopic  tooling.  Here,  again,  the  va- 
riation, pointed  out  by  the  enlarged  copy,  is,  in  the  original, 
hardly  discernible  by  an  average  unassisted  sight.* 

*  An  examination  of  the  paper  is  often  of  great  assistance  in  judging  of  the  genu- 
ineness of  prints.  For  this  reason  it  is  always  well  to  mount  them  "  Volant" — that  is, 
slightly  pasted  or  hinged  at  one  edge,  so  that  the  backs  may  be  readily  scrutinized. 
In  the  fifteenth  and  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  centuries  it  was  the  custom  of  paper- 
makers  to  water-mark  each  sheet  with  various  devices,  such  as  figures  of  a  globe, 
a  hand,  animals,  etc.,  in  outline.  The  same  idea  was  adopted  by  the  printers,  who 
placed  at  the  commencement  and  end  of  their  books  printed  devices  to  distinguish  the 
productions  of  their  press. 

The  paper  made  three  or  four  hundred  years  ago  was  quite  equal,  and  in  some 
respects  better,  than  that  made  at  the  present  time.  It  is  very  hard  and  smooth,  and 
almost  indestructible  through  any  ordinary  usage.  The  Low  Countries  were  especially 
famous  for  its  manufacture,  and  seem  to  have  sold  it  everywhere  throughout  Northern 
Europe.  Most  of  that  used  by  the  early  German  and  Italian  engravers  is  very  thin 
and  tough — so  thin  sometimes  that  the  ink  seems  to  have  struck  through,  causing  the 
impression  to  be  quite  apparent  from  the  back.  This  is  a  desirable  characteristic  of 
many  old  Italian  prints.  The  old  paper  has  been  imitated  very  closely  in  late  times, 
but  it  will  be  found  easier  to  distinguish  the  counterfeits  in  the  paper  than  to  tell  the 
original  print  from  the  clever  copy.  Therefore  it  is  important  to  know  as  much  about 
the  former  as  possible.  The  water-marks,  so  called,  are  found  on  the  paper  used  by 
Dttrer  and  other  artists  of  his  time,  and  were  made  by  laying  the  design  in  wire  upon 
the  mould  in  which  the  paper  was  made.  The  wire  caused  the  formation  of  thin  lines 
over  it,  and  when  the  sheet  is  held  to  the  light  the  patterns  are  readily  perceived. 


THE  PR IN 'T  COLLECTOR.  49 

The  distinguishing  marks,  which  have  been  thus  recorded  be- 
tween original  prints  and  the  most  accurate  copies  of  them,  are 
generally  borne  in  mind  and  pointed  out  by  dealers  and  collectors  ; 
but,  after  all,  they  are  not  very  frequently  resorted  to  as  of  practical 
use,  because  there  are  very  few  copies  but  which,  after  some  experi- 
ence, are  readily  known  from  their  originals  by  their  general  ap- 
pearance, independent  of  their  specific  tokens.  Besides  copies,  we 
may  just  mention  another  thing,  which  we  certainly  have  known, 
though  very  rarely,  to  be  sold  and  bought  as  a  genuine  print  :  we 
mean  counter-proofs.  This  term  implies  an  impression,  taken,  not 
from  the  copper-plate,  but  from  a  print  already  taken  from  it.  It 
is  effected  by  laying,  on  a  fine  strong  impression,  immediately  that 
it  comes  from  the  press,  a  fair  sheet  of  wet  paper,  and  passing  both 
between  the  rollers.  The  first  original  impression  now  acts,  in  a 
degree,  the  part  of  the  copper,  throwing  off,  on  the  plain  paper,  its 
superfluous  ink,  and  giving  an  impression  of  itself,  which  con- 
sequently shows  the  reverse  way,  and,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  is 
much  fainter  than  a  print  taken  from  the  copper,  and  this  is  called 
a  ''counter-proof."  A  person  who  knows  the  print  cannot  be 
deceived  by  this,  because  of  the  reversing,  all  that  is  on  the  right 
hand  in  the  original  print  being  on  the  left  hand  in  this  counter- 
proof,  and  vice  vcrsd  ;  but  an  inexperienced  collector,  and  to  whom 
the  print  is  unknown,  may  certainly  be  deceived  by  it. 

We  cannot  close  a  chapter,  in  which  ingenious  copies  of  fine 

This  may  have  been  a  method  of  copyright  adopted  by  the  manufacturers.  In  Dilrer's 
prints  the  head  of  a  bull  is  frequently  found,  but  not  in  all  of  them,  owing  to  the  cut- 
ting up  of  the  sheets  to  suit  the  various  sized  plates.  It  is  desirable  to  find  the  mark 
of  the  paper  in  one  of  this  master's  works.  In  any  case,  if  the  paper  be  genuine  it  is 
presumptive  evidence  that  the  impressions  upon  it  must  be  geruine. 

For  further  information  upon  the  subject  of  papers  and  water-marks,  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  "  Principia  Typographical'  a  work  by  Mr.  S.  Leigh  Sotheby,  in  three 
volumes  folio,  and  published  in  London  in  1858.  The  third  volume  is  exclusively 
devoted  to  this  department,  and  contains  a  vast  number  of  fac-similes  of  old  water- 
marks, collected  with  great  care  and  research. 


SO  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

works  have  been  alluded  to,  without  noticing  a  specimen  of  modern 
talent  in  this  department.  Great  interest  and  well-merited  admira- 
tion have  been  recently  excited  by  an  etching,  executed  by  a  young 
lady  amateur,  but  not  published.  It  is  highly  creditable  to  her 
taste  and  talent,  being  so  excellent  a  copy  of  "  Rembrandt's  Mill," 
that  none  but  skilful  judges  are  able  to  distinguish  it  from  the 
original. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


OF   PRICES   OF   PRINTS. 

THE  next  matter  requiring  attention  is  the  value  of  the  print,  or 
the  price  to  which  a  collector  should  limit  his  bidding  at  an  auction, 
or  consent  to  pay  in  a  shop.  Pity  it  is  that  the  elegant  pursuits  of 
the  intellect  cannot  be  indulged  without  the  necessity  of  being  con- 
taminated with  the  mercenary  consideration  of  pounds,  shillings, 
and  pence.  But  so  it  is  ;  all  prudent  persons  will  confine  their  in- 
dulgences within  the  sure  compass  of  their  means,  and  will  take 
pains  to  ascertain  at  how  low  a  rate  an  object  may  be  attainable, 
and  by  what  mode  it  may  be  obtained  at  the  lowest  price  ;  and 
even  he  whose  superfluities  make  it  of  little  importance  whether  he 
gives  less  or  more  for  that  on  which  he  has  set  his  mind,  is  still  un- 
willing to  allow  himself  to  fall  under  the  imputation  of  having  been 
duped,  or  as  being  deficient  in  the  knowledge  and  prudence  which 
is  implied  in  the  having  made  purchases  at  fair  prices. 

In  the  generality  of  marketable  articles,  there  are  certain  prin- 


52  THE  PRIXT  COLLECTOR. 

ciples  which  govern  the  price,  and  afford  correct  criterions  to  the 
purchaser  by  which  to  judge  of  the  value.  In  a  pair  of  shoes  or  a 
portfolio,  we  have,  for  data,  the  worth  of  the  material,  the  leather 
or  the  pasteboard  ;  we  can  estimate  the  value  of  the  time  and  labor 
employed,  and  the  reasonable  percentage  profit  to  the  seller  ;  and 
these  combined  give,  with  sufficient  accuracy,  the  price  which  the 
purchaser  ought  to  pay.  The  like  assistances  are  extended  to  any 
manufacture,  and  even  to  the  manufacture,  (begging  pardon  of 
literature  and  the  arts  for  using  such  a  term  as  applied  to  them), 
even  to  the  manufacture  of  the  publications  of  the  day,  whether  of 
art  or  letters. 

The  publisher  employs  a  painter  to  paint  a  subject  ;  he  pays 
him  a  specific  agreed  sum  for  his  work,  or  he  pays  a  specific  agreed 
sum  for  a  picture  already  painted,  or  for  the  privilege  of  engraving 
and  publishing  such  a  picture  ;  he  then  makes  his  agreement  with 
the  engraver  ;  the  price  is  governed  by  the  time  and  labor  which 
must  be  necessarily  occupied  in  the  work  ;  that  time  and  labor 
bearing  a  price  proportionate  to  the  reputation  of  the  artist  :  the 
cost  of  printing  and  of  paper,  the  allowance  to  the  trade,  the  profit 
to  himself,  all  form  items  capable  of  exact  calculation  ;  and  the  prob- 
able extent  of  the  public  demand  may  also  be  judged  of  by  such 
as  are  conversant,  by  experience,  with  the  public  taste.  The  proper 
price  at  which  the  print  should  be  charged  comes  out  from  the  re- 
sult of  these  combined  calculations,  with  a  certainty  and  accuracy 
which  admits  not  of  much  deviation,  because  every  other  publisher 
is  competent  to  estimate  the  thing,  and  to  judge  how  far  the  publi- 
cation price  is  just  or  excessive. 

Independent,  however,  of  all  this,  the  very  circumstance  of 
having  a  known  publication  price  is,  at  all  times,  a  criterion  ;  and, 
when  connected  with  the  knowledge  of  circumstances  attaching  to 
the  print,  the  popularity  of  it,  or  the  reverse,  and  the  quantity  of 
impressions  taken,  is  a  full  and  sufficient  guide.  But,  with  respect 
to  the  works  of  by-gone  artists  of  by-gone  times,  no  such  data  exist, 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  53 

no  such  criterion  is  afforded.  The  price  varies,  from  time  to  time, 
and  is,  from  time  to  time,  fixed  by  other  circumstances  than  such 
as  govern  in  the  other  case  :  namely,  by  the  fashion  of  the  day  ; 
by  the  fancy  that  may  be  prevalent  for  the  works  of  this  or  that 
artist  ;  by  the  comparative  rarity,  or  abundance,  of  his  works  in 
general,  or  of  this  or  that  work  in  particular  ;  and  the  intrinsic  ex- 
cellence, or  want  of  merit,  ever  ought,  and,  we  trust,  with  judicious 
collectors,  ever  will  be,  a  make-weight  ;  though  it  cannot  be  con- 
cealed that  this,  which  is  entitled  to  be  the  most  important  item  in 
the  estimate,  has  frequently  been  the  least  considered. 

One  would  hope,  and  indeed  expect,  that  the  artists  whose 
works  are  of  the  acknowledged  greatest  excellence  would  always  be 
in  the  greatest  repute  ;  and  there  is,  perhaps,  ground  to  flatter 
ourselves  that  we  are  approaching  towards  a  better  system,  in  this 
respect,  than  has  heretofore  prevailed.  But  this  has  not  been  the 
case  in  times  past.  There  has  generally  been  some  one  ancient 
artist,  or  some  two  or  three  among  ancient  artists,  who  have  been 
the  favorite  of  the  period  ;  and  that  without  any  good  reason 
assignable  or  discoverable,  unless,  indeed,  the  accidental  circum- 
stance of  some  one  collector,  with  a  deep  purse,  and  not  always  a 
commensurate  taste,  happening  to  take  a  fancy  to  some  given  en- 
graver, and  buying  ravenously  all  works  by  his  hand  that  might  be 
brought  to  the  hammer,  and  thus  naturally  raising  the  price.  In  a 
rising  market  all  are  buyers  ;  the  demand  for  all  the  works  of  this 
one  artist  increases,  and  possibly  without  any  respect  to  any  intrin- 
sic excellence  in  himself,  or  any  comparative  excellence  among  his 
different  works,  or  to  other  governing  principle,  other  than  the 
more  or  less  frequent  occurrence  of  such  or  such  a  print  in  the 
market. 

This,  for  instance,  was,  some  years  ago,  the  case  with  Hollar. 
Nothing  was  heard  of  but  "  a  Hollar."  Now,  Hollar  is  an  artist  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  ranking  in  the  English  school  from  having 
chiefly  practised  in  this  country  ;  of  very  superlative  mechanical 


54  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

skill  ;  a  most  faithful  delineator  of  what  was  placed  before  him  ; 
but  that  is  all.  He  displays  none  of  the  higher  qualities  of  the  art, 
invention,  imagination,  composition,  chiaroscuro,  effect.  At  the 
present  day,  the  works  of  Rembrandt  stand  the  prime  favorite  of 
collectors.  There  has  never,  indeed,  been  a  time  when  this  artist 
was  not  highly  prized  ;  he  has  endured  while  others  have  passed 
away.  Although  these  men  are  long  since  deaf  to  praise  and  dis- 
praise, yet  it  is  still  invidious  to  compare  one  with  another,  because 
each  may  have  his  patron  among  present  collectors,  and  we  would 
not  willingly  offend  predilections.  But  no  one,  who  is  unshackled 
by  prepossessions,  can  well  refuse  to  concur  in  the  opinion  that  a 
rage  for  the  works  of  Rembrandt  is  more  to  the  credit  of  the  taste 
of  the  age,  than  a  rage  for  the  works  of  Hollar,  or  any  such  en- 
graver. 

Although  there  are  extraneous  circumstances  that  have  contri- 
buted to  raise  the  Rembrandt  market,  such,  especially,  as  the 
determination  evinced,  by  certain  great  collectors  in  the  native 
country  of  that  artist,  to  acquire  the  finest  of  his  productions  at  any 
price  ;  yet,  when,  coupled  with  this  popularity  of  Rembrandt,  we 
find  sought  after,  with  almost  equal  avidity,  other  first-rate  original 
artists  of  the  same  school,  Ostade,  Berghem,  Du  Jardin  ;  and,  beyond 
these,  a  more  scientific,  and,  heretofore,  less  understood  and  more 
neglected  class,  the  greatest  engravers  of  the  Italian  school,  Marc 
Antonio,  and  his  scholars,  most  of  whom  are  most  able  and  excel- 
lent, not  in  the  mechanical  part  of  the  art  merely,  but  in  its  higher 
qualities  ;  attractive  by  the  science  displayed,  rather  than  by  beau- 
ties congenial  to  popular  taste  ;  we  cannot  but  hope  that  the  era  is 
arriving  when  intrinsic  excellence  shall  become  the  object  of  acqui- 
sition, and  that  much  of  what  has  been  the  reproach  of  collectors, 
as  well  in  this  as  in  other  departments,  will  be  discountenanced, 
and  made  to  yield  to  a  more  reasonable  judgment. 

But,  to  return.  Wanting  all  legitimate  data  by  which  a  purchaser 
might  inform  himself  whereabouts  he  ought  to  fix  the  limit  to  his 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  55 

bidding  for  a  print  which  he  desires  to  possess,  what  criterion  re- 
mains, it  may  be  asked,  whereby  the  young  collector  may  be  guided  ? 
There  is,  in  truth,  no  criterion  but  experience,  and  this  he  has  not ; 
and,  therefore,  he  has  no  resource  but  in  a  reliance  on  the  good 
faith  of  competent  advisers.  He  must,  at  present,  rest  on  this  ;  he 
must,  until  he  can  obtain  experience  for  himself,  purchase  or  beg 
the  fruit  of  the  experience  which  others  have  acquired  ;  he  must, 
indeed,  use  this  resource,  not  only  in  the  article  of  price,  but  also, 
until  experienced  in  other  matters,  in  all  the  other  essential  articles  ; 
in  the  distinguishing  an  original  from  a  copy,  in  judging  of  the 
earliness  of  impression,  the  goodness  of  impression,  the  freedom 
from  reparation,  cleaning,  washing. 

And  here  it  is  due  to  the  dealers  in  ancient  prints,  of  whom 
there  are  not  in  all  London  above  half  a  dozen,  to  say  that,  gener- 
ally speaking,  a  young  collector,  having  no  competent  private  friend 
to  resort  to,  may  rely  on  their  honorable  dealing  ;  and  it  will  be  his 
most  prudent  plan,  instead  of  assuming  to  judge  for  himself,  in 
which  case  he  is  sure  speedily  to  betray  his  ignorance,  to  at  once 
declare  his  incompetence,  and  his  intention  to  rely  on  the  print- 
seller  ;  and  he  will  find,  as  we  think,  that  his  confidence  will  not  be 
abused.  It  must  not  be  concealed  that  the  experience  requisite  to 
enable  an  aspirant  to  go  alone  is  very  considerable,  and,  indeed, 
there  are  few  persons,  even  among  old  collectors,  who  venture,  in 
all  cases,  to  act  wholly  on  their  own  judgment. 

With  respect  to  price,  which  is  the  immediate  subject  before  us, 
it  is  customary  for  amateurs  and  for  dealers  to  preserve  the  cata- 
logues of  all  important  sales  of  prints  that  take  place  by  auction,  with 
notices  of  the  price  which  each  print  fetched.  To  the  inexperienced 
it  may  appear  that  a  stock  of  catalogues  thus  marked  would  be,  in 
great  measure,  equivalent  to  personal  experience,  and  form  a  suf- 
ficient guide  for  even  a  mere  novice,  as  in  the  parallel  case  of  book 
catalogues,  to  venture  unassisted  into  the  shop  or  the  auction-room. 
But  this  is  very  far  from  being  the  case  ;  such  marked  catalogues 


5&  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

are,  indeed,  of  some,  though  but  limited,  utility  to  those  who 
already  have  experience,  but  are  of  no  use  whatever,  in  a  general 
way,  to  those  who  have  not.  There  is  one  use,  and  one  only,  which 
it  is  obvious  may  be,  now  and  then,  made  of  them,  and  that  is, 
when  any  given  print,  brought  under  the  hammer  to-day,  is  declared 
and  known  to  be  the  same  identical  impression  that  was  sold,  at 
such  a  time,  in  such  a  collection.  A  reference  to  the  priced  cata- 
logue of  that  sale  shows  what  price  this  same  impression  then 
brought,  and  thus  affords  a  criterion  by  which  any  one,  who  knows 
no  more  than  whether  the  market  has  risen  or  fallen  since,  may 
tolerably  judge  for  himself  what  sum  he  may  venture  to  bid. 

With  this  sole  exception,  the  priced  catalogue  is  of  little  or  no 
value,  and  certainly  of  none,  unless  to  such  as  can  read  with  the 
eye  of  old  experience.  They  are  of  utility  in  the  mass,  as  indicat- 
ing, generally,  the  rise  or  fall  in  the  market  of  the  prints  at  large  of 
any  given  artist,  or  of  any  given  school  or  class  ;  but,  as  regarding 
any  single  individual  specimen,  the  assistance  they  afford  is  at  best 
very  limited  and  uncertain.  This  will  readily  become  apparent  by 
bringing  to  recollection  the  various  circumstances  that  combine  to 
fix  the  true  value  of  any  given  print  ;  the  qualities,  namely,  that 
have  been  before  enumerated  ;  earliness  of  impression,  goodness  of 
impression,  and  condition  ;  and  to  which  must,  on  this  occasion,  be 
added  comparative  rarity,  together  with  another  circumstance  of  a 
certain  importance,  and  which  may  be  called  pedigree,  and  consists 
in  the  marks  that  may  appear  on  the  print,  of  its  having  passed 
through  the  hands  of  collectors  of  eminence.  This  matter  will  be 
again  adverted  to  ;  suffice  it,  at  present,  to  observe,  by  way  of  ex- 
planation, that  collectors  were  formerly,  and  indeed  are  at  pres- 
ent, in  the  practice  of  setting  on  their  prints  their  name,  or  initials, 
or  other  marks  of  proprietorship.  The  circumstance  of  any  such 
mark  appearing  on  a  print  can,  indeed,  be  stated  in  a  catalogue  ; 
but  it  is  of  little  value  unless  in  connection  with  other  qualities, 
which  the  catalogue  cannot  give. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  57 

Again,  it  might  be  supposed  that  a  series  of  catalogues,  and  a 
comparison  of  them,  one  with  another,  might  afford  a  tolerable 
guide  on  the  point  of  comparative  rarity ;  and  that  any  person  con- 
sulting them  might  see  for  himself  whether  such  or  such  a  print 
were  of  constant  occurrence,  or  but  rare  appearance.  But  neither 
will  this  resort  be  very  available.  It  is  not  often  that  a  collection 
is  brought  to  sale  which  professes  to  contain,  or  which  displays,  a 
determination  in  the  proprietor  to  acquire  the  complete  works  of 
any  master.  There  may,  therefore,  be  several  prints  of  no  impor- 
tance, which  he  may  not  have  troubled  himself  to  seek,  and,  not 
having  met  with  to  his  liking,  may  not  have  cared  to  obtain  ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  he  will  probably  have  made  a  point  of  obtaining 
all  which  are  of  most  importance,  and  especially  of  most  rarity. 
To  come,  therefore,  to  the  conclusion  that,  because,  in  such  a  col- 
lection, such  a  print  is  wanting,  it  must  needs  be  rare,  might  be 
very  erroneous. 

There  is,  then,  apart  from  experience,  no  means  of  ascertaining 
this  quality  of  rarity,  except  in  cases  where  publications  exist  pro- 
fessedly giving  information  on  the  subject,  other  than  by  the  notices 
to  this  effect  in  auctioneers'  catalogues,  which  are  very  deceptive 
guides  :  or,  by  assuming  that  the  print  has  this  quality,  by  reason 
of  the  high  price  it  may  have  brought.  But  we  have  already  ob- 
served that  many  other  considerations,  besides  rarity,  enter  into 
the  ascertainment  of  price,  and  combine  to  regulate  it  ;  and,  if  the 
inexperienced  be  thus  at  fault  in  the  one  quality  of  rarity,  he  must 
be  greatly  more  so  on  the  other  points  which  affect  price,  since 
these  are  not  to  be  estimated,  except  by  actual  comparison  of  one 
print  with  another.  Rarity  although  indeed  a  comparitive  qual- 
ity, is  not  such  a  one  as  requires  personal  inspection  or  ocular  com- 
parison with  any  other  ;  on  the  contrary,  such  inspection  gives  no 
information  on  this  point,  the  precise  degree  of  rarity  may  be  told 
in  words.  But,  be  a  print  as  rare  as  it  may,  it  may  still,  notwith- 
standing this  one  quality,  be  worth  little  or  nothing,  and  that  solely 


58  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 

by  reason  of  circumstances,  of  which  no  notice  is  taken  in  the  cata- 
logue, or  can  be  with  sufficient  accuracy.  It  may  be  a  worn-out 
impression,  or  a  bad  impression,  or  washed,  or  damaged,  stained, 
mended  ;  as  to  all  which,  the  catalogue  would  be  prudently  silent. 

In  looking  over  priced  catalogues,  one  perpetually  finds  prints 
that,  for  anything  that  appears  in  the  catalogue,  ought  to  sell  for 
ten  or  twenty  pounds,  set  down  as  having  been  sold  for  as  many 
shillings  ;  and  we  infer,  and  rightly,  that  there  was  some  defect 
that  the  catalogue  could  not,  or  would  not,  give  intimation  of.  If 
the  young  collector,  having  intent  to  purchase  a  print  which  he  sees 
in  an  advertised  sale,  consult  his  marked  catalogues,  thinking  to 
ascertain  the  average  price  of  this  print,  he  may,  perhaps,  find  the 
price  of  the  several  impressions  varying  as  much  as  has  been  said  ; 
some,  perhaps,  selling  for  no  more  shillings  than  others  bring 
pounds.  He  will  be  perplexed,  and  at  a  loss,  and  inclined  to  throw 
aside  his  hoped  assistants  in  despair  and  disgust  ;  and  this  will  con- 
tinue to  be  a  riddle  to  him,  until  he  shall  have  discovered  the  vast  dif- 
ference of  value  between  a  first-rate  impression  and  a  poor  one,  and 
the  infinite  gradations  of  estimation  at  which  the  same  print  may  be 
set,  according  to  its  goodness  of  impression,  state,  and  condition. 
In  fine,  he  must  attain  a  knowledge  of  these  qualities  of  prints, 
and  an  ability  to  judge  of  them,  as  well  as  experience  of  their  value 
in  all  their  gradations,  before  he  venture  to  buy,  on  his  own  judg- 
ment, anything  of  much  importance  ;  and,  unless  he  be  content  to 
place  himself  in  the  hands  of  others,  he  will  do  well  to  forbear  at- 
tempting to  add  such  to  his  collection  until  he  has  made  such  prog- 
ress in  collecting  as  shall  have  furnished  him  with  the  necessary 
experience. 

It  is  a  common  habit  of  collectors  to  attend  the  auction  sales  of 
prints  ;  but  there  is  a  certain  temptation  in  a  sale-room,  and  a  cer- 
tain excitement  which  stimulates  that  temptation,  which  make  it 
absolutely  dangerous  for  anyone,  who  is  not  of  the  most  phlegmatic 
disposition,  or  who  has  not  been  made  callous  by  long  practice,  or 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  59 

become  apathetic  by  the  years  rolled  over  his  head,  to  indulge  his 
curiosity  or  idle  away  an  hour  in  this  amusing  occupation.  Old 
collectors  are  aware  of  this,  and,  though  they  may  attend,  they  are 
not  very  frequently  seen  to  bid.  It  will  often  happen,  indeed,  that 
there  is  nothing  to  tempt  them  ;  but,  if  otherwise,  their  most  usual 
course  is  to  commission  a  print-dealer  to  bid  for  them.  A  careful 
inspection  of  the  lots  worthy  of  attention  takes  place  on  the  pre- 
vious view-day,  and  a  deliberate  consultation  then  determines  for 
what  lots  to  bid,  and  up  to  what  price. 

Now,  this  prudent  course  of  procedure  implies  two  things, 
which  the  young  collector  may  convert  into  maxims  of  much  prac- 
tical use.  It  implies,  first,  that  the  experienced  collector  thinks  it 
wise  to  ascertain  beforehand  what  he  really  wants,  and  to  bid  for 
nothing  that  he  does  not  want  ;  and,  next,  that  he  considers  it 
necessary  to  take  precaution  against  being  excited,  by  the  feverish 
atmosphere  of  a  sale-room,  to  bid,  for  what  he  does  want,  a  higher 
sum  than  calm  consideration  would  justify. 

Armed  with  a  determination  to  adhere  to  these  two  maxims, 
our  tyro  may,  with  safety,  amuse  himself  with  attending  sales,  and 
we  rather  advise  it,  for  he  may  derive  improvement  from  the  prac- 
tice. Generally  speaking,  he  may  readily  discover  who  the  sitters 
are  around  the  table  ;  he  will  find  them  to  be,  for  the  most  part, 
men  of  the  first  judgment  and  greatest  experience  in  their  line  as 
dealers  or  collectors  ;  he  will  soon  perceive  that  the  same  faces, 
and  rarely  any  others,  make  their  appearance  again  and  again  ;  he 
will,  perhaps,  court  a  sort  of  acquaintance  with  some  of  these  per- 
sons, and,  at  any  rate,  he  will  hear  their  remarks  as  the  lots  are 
handed  round,  and  may  gradually,  and  almost  imperceptibly,  ac- 
quire much  information  from  observations  dropped  in  his  hearing  ; 
he  will  also  acquire  a  practice  of  eye,  and  hence  improvement  in 
his  taste,  by  the  constant  passing  under  his  view  of  fine  specimens 
of  art. 

Some  of  these  observations  respecting  auctions  tend  to  enforce 


60  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

the  prudence  of  determining,  at  the  outset,  upon  one  given  line  of 
collecting,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others  ;  and,  we  will  add,  that  the 
narrower  this  line  is  the  better,  for  it  can,  at  any  time,  be  extended 
or  widened,  when  acquired  experience  makes  safe  its  enlargement. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  young  collector  decline  to  pursue 
any  system,  or  confine  himself  to  any  department  exclusively,  and 
begin  by  eagerly  making  miscellaneous  purchases,  purposing  to  ar- 
range all  so  soon  as  he  shall  become  possessed  of  an  indiscriminate 
number  sufficient  to  make  arrangement  necessary  ;  if  he  trust  him- 
self to  bid  at  sales,  because  a  pretty  print  is  selling  for  a  few  shil- 
lings, or  a  large  lot  of  prints,  that  cannot  but  be  cheap,  as  he 
thinks,  at  the  money  ;  or,  if  he  drop  in  at  shops  without  knowing 
what  to  ask  for,  and  allow  himself  to  be  tempted,  or,  rather  make 
temptation  for  himself,  by  looking  through  any  folios  that  may 
happen  to  lie  on  the  counter,  he  will  assuredly  find,  at  his  year's 
end,  or  so  soon  after  as  the  scales  fall  from  his  eyes,  that  he  has  got 
together  a  multitude  of  prints,  falling  under  almost  every  conceiv- 
able class,  and  so  dispersed  among  all  as  to  amount  to  very  little  in 
any  one,  and  certainly  not  making  anything  like  a  desirable  collec- 
tion of  any  description  ;  and  the  probability  is,  that,  in  all  this  as- 
semblage, there  will  be  nothing  really  good. 

Ancient  prints,  of  much  esteem,  are  rarely  to  be  met  with  for- 
tuitously ;  they  must  be  specifically  sought  for  ;  they  do  not  fre- 
quently appear  in  a  shop  window,  nor  do  they  often  remain  any 
great  length  of  time  in  a  print-seller's  hands.  A  dealer  knows  the 
different  lines  which  his  customers  have  selected  ;  knows,  pretty 
accurately,  what  they  have  got,  and  what  they  want.  Whenever, 
therefore,  an  important  print  happens  -to  fall  into  a  dealer's  hands, 
he  can  pretty  well  judge  who  will  be  his  customer  for  it  ;  he  at  once 
sends  it  to  this  person,  or  invites  him  to  come  and  see  it  ;  and  he 
will,  if  possible,  reserve  it  for  him,  and  will  certainly  not  seek  to  sell 
it.  but  keep  it  out  of  public  sight  until  his  customer  has  had  the 
refusal  of  it. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  61 

It  often  occurs,  at  a  public  sale,  that  a  large  number  of  prints 
is  huddled  together  in  one  lot,  none  of  them  having  been  thought 
of  sufficient  value  singly  to  ensure  a  bidding.  It  will  sometimes 
happen,  by  the  inadvertence  or  ignorance  of  the  auctioneer  or  cata- 
logue-maker, that  some  one  rare  print  will  have  slipped,  unobserved, 
into  such  a  lot  ;  and  if  a  print-dealer  espy  this,  he  will  buy  the 
whole  lot  for  the  sake  of  this  one  print  alone.  The  rarity  will  im- 
mediately be  placed  in  the  arranged  folio,  or  dispatched  to  its  an- 
ticipated destination  ;  while  all  the  rest  of  the  lot  go  into  the  mass 
of  miscellaneous  rubbish,  with  which  every  dealer  becomes,  now 
and  then,  by  such  means  as  these,  encumbered  ;  and  a  chance  cus- 
tomer, who  merely  wants  to  collect  prints,  but  knows  not  what, 
and  only  requires  to  be  tempted,  is  regarded  as  a  god-send  ;  and  he 
may  assure  himself  that,  on  such  occasions,  he  may  acquire  great 
accessions  to  his  collection  of  what  he  will  consider  prodigious 
bargains. 

To  a  person  not  accustomed  to  the  business  of  collecting  ancient 
prints,  it  may  appear  a  very  easy  matter  for  a  man,  with  plenty  of 
money  in  his  pocket,  to  at  once  possess  himself  of  all  that  he  may 
desire  to  have.  Money,  it  is  said,  can  purchase  anything,  but  this 
must  be  with  one  limitation,  namely,  that  this  "  anything"  is  to  be 
purchased.  In  almost  all  the  departments  that  have  been  spoken 
of,  of  ancient  prints,  there  are  many  that  may  be  readily  met  M'ith  ; 
others  that  may  also  be  readily  met  with,  but  not  readily  with  the 
necessary  qualifications  as  to  state  and  condition  ;  others  there  are 
of  rare  occurrence  so  unfrequently  coming  into  the  market  that  a 
print-dealer,  to  whom  an  order  may  be  given  to  procure  an  impres- 
sion, may  be  employed  for  years  in  seeking,  before  an  opportunity 
be  afforded  of  obtaining  it  ;  and,  beyond  this,  there  are  others  of 
which  but  two  or  three,  or,  it  may  be,  one  impression,  is  known  to 
exist. 

We  have  sometimes  been  amused  with  the  sight  of  an  order  re- 
ceived by  a  London  print-seller,  from  some  ignorant  innocent  in  the 


62  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

country,  who  had  suddenly  taken  a  fancy  to  collect  prints,  desiring 
to  have  sent  down  to  him,  immediately,  a  number  of  engravings, 
according  to  a  list  enclosed,  this  list  comprising  a  selection  of  the 
very  rarest  prints  known — those,  in  short,  which  are  so  rare  as  to 
have  been  the  subject  of  special  description  in  some  book  or  cata- 
logue which  the  would-be  customer  happens  to  have  met  with  or 
been  studying.  The  print-seller  must  smooth  his  answer  as  best  he 
may,  aware  himself  that  it  would  be  scarce  possible,  during  a  whole 
life,  to  make  up  the  collection  required  ;  and  as  to  some  of  the 
specimens,  not  at  all.* 

*  A  genuine  collector  is  in  reality  a  species  of  angler.  Wittingly  or  not,  he  belongs 
to  the  brotherhood  of  good  old  Isaac  Walton.  Like  him,  he  will  have  to  arm  himself 
with  patience  and  watch  and  wait  for  the  choice  game  he  is  in  pursuit  of,  while  the 
interims  are  filled  with  opportunities  for  study  and  contemplative  enjoyment.  A  con- 
stant lookout  will  have  to  be  kept  for  the  choice  specimens,  and  he  must  know  where 
to  go  for  them,  and  when  to  strike  to  secure  them.  One  can  no  more  form  a  fine 
collection  of  prints  without  thought,  industry,  and  experience,  than  the  angler  can 
succeed  without  a  corresponding  degree  of  skill  and  patience.  For  ten  years  past  a 
vast  number  of  choice  engravings  and  etchings  have  been  brought  to  the  United  States, 
but  the  taste  of  the  community  is  not  yet  sufficiently  formed,  so  that  market  values  are 
fixed,  or  uniformly  sustained,  as  they  are  in  Europe.  Thus  lar  no  really  good  collec- 
tions have  found  their  way  into  our  auction-rooms.  The  best  specimens  offered  for  sale 
in  this  way  have  been  line  engravings,  but  the  prices  realized  are  so  spasmodic  as  to 
give  no  standards  for  value.  Thereiore  we  have  to  depend  upon  the  regular  dealers, 
but  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  a  riper  appreciation  will  warrant  the  dispersion  of 
our  accumulations  under  the  hammer.  London  is  the  great  centre,  not  only  of  Great 
Britain,  but  of  Europe,  for  the  sale  of  art  collections,  and  there  the  business  is  con- 
fined almost  entirely  to  two  great  auction  firms,  viz.:  Messrs.  Christie,  Manson  & 
Woods,  and  Messrs.  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  &  Hodge.  In  France  the  sales  take  place 
almost  exclusively  at  the  Rue  Druout,  and  occasionally  some  are  held  in  Leipsig  and 
in  Holland  ;  but  the  larger  proportion  go  to  London,  and  the  buyers  congregate 
there  from  all  parts  of  the  world. 

In  England  the  system  of  cataloguing  has  been  developed  almost  into  an  exact  sci- 
ence. Accomplished  experts  are  employed,  and  the  perfections,  defects,  and  status 
of  each  piece  chronicled  in  the  catalogues  with  precision.  As  a  rule,  the  state 
ments  can  be  depended  upon,  and  the  buyer,  as  well  as  the  seller,  has  a  guar- 
antee against  imposition.  If  a  piece  is  not  found  as  represented,  it  may  always 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  63 

It  is  customary  with  collectors  to  seek  to  improve  their  port- 
folios, not  by  additions  only,  but  by  exchanges.  On  meeting,  at 
any  time,  with  a  better  impression  of  a  print  of  which  he  already 

be  returned  to  the  auctioneers  after  the  sale  ;  but,  as  Mr.  Maberly  justly  remarks, 
auctions  are,  after  all  the  precautions  which  may  be  taken,  more  or  less  uncertain  ;  and 
while  the  buyer  on  this  side  of  the  water  may  run  a  comparatively  small  risk  in  pur- 
chasing in  this  way,  he  will  do  well  to  place  his  commissions,  with  limitation  as  to 
prices,  in  the  hands  of  a  competent  agent,  if  possible,  in  London.  An  auctioneer  who 
disposes  of  all  kinds  of  artistic  property  cannot  be  expected  to  be  learned  in  every 
department ;  therefore  in  Paris  it  is  customary  to  have  at  such  sales  an  expert,  who 
is  generally  a  dealer  and  represents  the  interests  of  the  owner,  and  whose  business  it  is 
to  aid  the  auctioneer  and  give  such  information  as  may  be  required,  to  prevent,  if  pos- 
sible, valuable  objects  being  sacrificed  through  the  oversight  or  ignorance  of  the  buyers. 
These  experts  have  usually  some  reputation  at  stake,  hence  there  is  more  care  not  to 
misrepresent  with  the  view  of  entrapping  the  unwary.  More  fine  prints  are  probably 
disposed  of  at  the  auction-rooms  of  Sotheby,  Wilkinson  &  Hodge,  in  London,  than 
in  any  other  one  place  in  the  world,  and  the  collector  will  do  well  to  commission  his 
purchases  to  be  made  there.  Catalogues  of  many  of  the  important  sales  are  now  sent 
to  New  York  sufficiently  in  advance  so  that  orders  may  be  sent  out  in  time,  and  the 
most  trustworthy  print-sellers  here  are  glad  to  execute  them  at  a  moderate  commission. 

With  all  due  respect  for  the  generality  of  auctioneers,  it  is  no  doubt  better  in  the 
long  run  to  do  the  bidding  through  some  trustworthy  dealer  ;  for  the  man  with  the  ham- 
mer is  only  human,  and,  through  the  frequent  attendance  of  the  enthusiastic  collector, 
is  enabled  to  learn  his  weak  points  and  play  upon  them  to  the  detriment  of  his  pocket. 

The  dealers  abroad  sometimes  form  a  "  ring,"  and  buy  in  concert,  afterwards  divid- 
ing what  they  get  among  themselves.  In  this  way  they  avoid  one  another's  competition, 
and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  have  for  an  agent  one  who  would  not  be  excluded  from  such  a 
possible  combination.  As  an  instance  of  what  may  sometimes  be  done  by  this  not  very 
honorable  arrangement,  a  few  years  since  a  copy  of  the  first  folio  of  Shakespeare's 
plays  was  sold  at  an  auction  in  London,  and  in  the  absence  of  any  other  competition 
knocked  down  for  between  twenty  and  thirty  pounds  to  a  ring  of  some  half  a  dozen 
booksellers.  This  ring  resold  it  to  the  highest  bidder  among  themselves,  who  in  his 
turn  represented  two  of  their  number,  for  fifty  pounds.  The  proceeds  were  divided 
equally.  One  of  the  two  took  it  for  double  this  amount,  paying  his  associate  his  pro- 
portion of  the  profit,  and  disposed  of  it  finally  to  a  private  buyer  at  a  still  larger 
advance.  To  any  one,  however,  who  has  attended  and  watched  auction  sales,  these 
tricks  of  the  trade  are  known  to  be  rarely  successful,  especially  where  the  collections 
to  be  dispersed  are  important  enough  to  attract  public  attention. 


^4  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

has  an  indifferent  impression,  or  a  print  in  better  condition  than 
one  which  he  has  in  poor  condition,  he  will  exchange,  parting  with 
the  one,  and  buying  the  other ;  and  it  is  customary  with  the  dealers 
to  take  back  any  print,  purchased  of  them,  at  the  price  which  had 
been  paid  for  it,  on  the  customer  taking,  at  the  price  now  marked, 
the  better  specimen  in  exchange.  This  custom  answers  the  object 
of  both  parties.  Generally  speaking,  ancient  prints  rise  in  price, 
for  reasons  which  will  be  adverted  to  hereafter.  The  print-seller, 
therefore,  obtains  the  returned  print  at  the  old  price,  and  the  col- 
lector pays  no  more  for  his  new  acquisition  than  the  fair  price  of 
the  day.  It  has,  moreover,  this  advantage  to  the  print-seller  :  it 
encourages  the  collector  to  purchase,  since  the  hesitation  which  he 
might  feel  at  buying  anything  of  an  inferior  description  is  removed 
by  the  assurance  that,  whenever  opportunity  arises,  he  may,  with- 
out loss,  amend  it. 

There  will,  however,  be  exceptions  to  this,  arising  from  circum- 
stances to  which  all  markets  are  subject,  especially  fashion  of  the 
day.  A  whole  class  may  possibly  degenerate  in  value,  instead  of 
improving,  by  reason  of  some  changes  in  public  fancy.  This  oc- 
curred a  few  years  ago  in  the  large  class  of  British  portraits.  A 
fancy  for  collecting  these  arose  from  the  Rev.  James  Grainger's 
"Biographical  History  of  England,"  published  in  1775.  Horace 
\Valpole  observes,  in  one  of  his  letters  :  ' '  We  have  at  present  a 
rage  for  prints  of  English  portraits  ;  lately  I  assisted  a  clergyman 
in  compiling  a  catalogue  of  them.  Since  this  publication,  scarce 
heads  in  books,  not  worth  threepence,  will  sell  for  five  guineas." 

This  led  to  a  practice  of  illustrating  printed  books,  and  many 
persons  set  about  collecting  the  engraved  portraits  of  every  indi- 
vidual named  or  referred  to  in  some  given  work  which  they  had  re- 
solved to  illustrate — a  history  of  London,  a  Grainger,  a  Clarendon, 
etc.  The  price  of  this  class  of  prints  became,  in  consequence, 
higher  and  higher  ;  and,  as  the  fancy  ceased  or  the  rage  cooled, 
they  gradually  subsided  again,  so  that  at  this  day  many  a  print  of 


THE   PRIXT  COLLECTOR.  65 

this  class  may  be  had  for  twenty  shillings  that  would  heretofore 
have  cost  three  or  four  pounds. 

It  should  be  recollected,  however,  that  the  great  majority  of 
this  class  of  prints  are,  so  far  as  regards  the  English  school  at  least, 
most  wretched  performances  as  works  of  art,  not  worthy  of  the 
name.  If  the  works  of  Faithorne,  Hollar,  Passe,  Houbraken,  and 
one  or  two  others,  be  excepted,  the  rest  are,  as  specimens  of  art, 
actually  valueless.  These,  therefore,  in  truth,  never  had  real  value  ;, 
nothing  but  a  conventional  value  ;  scarcely  the  value  derived  from 
historical  interest,  for  very  many  of  them  are  but  imaginary  por- 
traits, and  few  bear  any  evidence  of  being  the  actual  resemblance 
of  the  person  professed  to  be  portrayed. 

The  circumstance,  which  has  been  referred  to,  of  the  difficulty 
of  obtaining  certain  prints,  and  the  variations  in  the  degree  of  per- 
fection, in  earliness  of  impression,  and  in  excellence  of  condition, 
conspire  to  assist  in  enhancing  the  pleasure  of  the  pursuit.  A  cer- 
tain proportion  of  a  collection,  in  any  given  class,  is  obtained  with 
comparative  readiness  ;  after  this,  the  acquisitions  come  at  intervals 
only,  the  progress  towards  completion  becomes  slower  and  slower, 
the  interest  is  kept  alive  by  the  constantly  watching  for  opportuni- 
ties of  amendment,  and  of  the  addition  of  rarities.  Purchases  being 
few  and  far  between,  the  expense,  if  considered  as  spread  over  the 
period,  is  but  small  ;  and  the  pursuit,  pleasing  as  it  is,  may  be 
made  the  occupation  of  all  the  leisure  of  a  long  life. 

Before  dismissing  the  subject  of  the  present  chapter,  we  will 
mention  a  few  facts,  which  may  be  called  records  of  the  auction- 
room,  and  which  will  serve  to  illustrate  some  of  the  observations 
made  in  the  preceding  pages.  They  are  also  interesting  in  them- 
selves, as  showing,  on  the  one  hand,  the  increased  and  increasing 
estimation,  in  the  mind  of  the  public,  of  works  of  real  merit,  indi- 
cating, as  it  is  hoped,  not  only  improvement  in  the  general  taste, 
but  also  a  more  extensive  diffusion  of  the  love  of  the  finest  art  ; 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  showing,  unfortunately,  that  with  the  wheat 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

will  still  grow  the  tares  ;  that  folly  is  ever,  more  or  less,  an  ingredi- 
ent in  all  human  pursuits  ;  and  that  the  ridicule,  of  which  we  spoke 
at  the  offset,  to  which  a  collector  is  frequently  obnoxious,  will  never 
be  disappointed  in  its  search  for  a  subject  to  point  at. 

The  highest  price  which  any  single  print  has  produced,  at  a 
public  sale  in  England,  and  probably  anywhere  else,  is  three  hun- 
dred guineas.  This  was  in  the  year  1824,  at  the  sale  of  Sir  Mark 
Sykes's  collection.  The  print  was  an  impression  of  a  work  in  niello, 
by  Maso  Finiguerra  ;  the  subject  is  the  Madonna  and  Child,  in- 
throned,  and  surrounded  with  angels  and  saints.  The  late  Mr. 
Young  Ottley,  afterwards  the  curator  of  the  prints  in  the  British 
Museum,  met  with  this  print,  accidentally,  at  Rome,  where  he  pur- 
chased it  for  a  mere  trifle.  On  his  return  to  England,  he  sold  it  to 
this  eminent  collector  for  about  seventy  pounds. 

Maso  Finiguerra,  be  it  remembered,  is  reputed  to  have  been  the 
original  inventor  of  the  art  of  taking  impressions  on  paper  from 
metal  plates,  a  short  account  of  which  invention  will  be  found  in  a 
future  page  ;  the  first  inventor,  in  other  words,  of  what  is  popularly, 
though  incorrectly,  called  the  art  of  engraving.  A  work  by  his 
hand  is  therefore  of  the  greatest  interest.  Until  the  year  1797,  it 
was  not  known  that  any  impression  of  an  engraving  by  him  existed  ; 
but,  in  that  year,  one  was  discovered  by  Zani,  in  the  collection  of 
the  National  Institute  at  Paris,  and  a  most  interesting  account  of 
this  discovery,  and  the  joy  of  the  old  gentleman  on  the  occasion,  is 
given  by  himself  in  his  history  of  the  origin  and  progress  of  engrav- 
ing, noticed  hereafter  under  the  title  of  "  Materiali  per  servire,"  etc. 

The  little  print  of  which  we  are  speaking  is  supposed  to  have 
been  printed  not  later  than  the  year  1445,  and  is,  therefore,  exceed- 
ingly valuable,  even  if  regarded  as  an  object  of  antiquity  merely, 
and  a  specimen  of  the  very  earliest  infancy  of  the  art.  It  was, 
moreover,  at  the  time  of  its  sale,  considered  to  be  unique,  another 
circumstance  which  added  greatly  to  its  value.  However,  more 
than  one  other  impression  has  been  discovered  since. 

\ 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  67 

But  it  is  not  only  for  these  secondary  qualities  of  antiquity  and 
rarity  that  this  little  print  is  estimable  ;  it  has,  in  itself,  great  in- 
trinsic beauty.  The  figures,  of  which  there  are  no  less  than  thirty, 
in  a  space  of  little  more  than  four  inches  in  height  by  three  inches 
wide,  are  drawn  with  great  correctness  and  purity  of  style,  judi- 
ciously varied  in  their  attitudes,  and  so  skilfully  disposed  that  it 
would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any  composition  of  that  age  in  which 
fulness  and  perspicuity  are  so  happily  united.  It  also  evinces  the 
greatest  delicacy  of  hand  in  the  use  of  the  burin. 

The  increase  in  public  estimation  of  the  value  of  the  very  finest 
examples  of  the  art,  and  from  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  be  inferred 
an  increase  of  the  public  interest  in  such  things,  is  exemplified  in 
one  of  the  most  justly-admired  plates  of  that  wonderful  artist, 
Rembrandt  van  Rhyn. 

The  print,  representing  our  Saviour  healing  the  sick,  is  more 
generally  known  by  the  title  of  "  The  Hundred  Guilder,"  from  the 
circumstance  of  its  having,  in  the  lifetime  of  the  artist,  been  sold 
for  that  sum,  or  about  eight  guineas  of  our  money.  After  some 
impressions  were  taken  off  from  the  plate,  Rembrandt  added  a  few 
cross-hatchings  in  one  part,  and  thus  occasioned  the  distinction, 
now  become  of  great  importance,  of  a  first  and  second  state  of 
the  plate.  Of  the  first  state,  that,  namely,  without  this  additional 
shadowing,  eight  impressions,  and  no  more,  are  known  to  exist. 

In  1809,  at  the  sale  of  the  collection  of  Mr.  Hibbert,  one  of 
these  first  states,  on  India  paper,  sold  for  4i/.  gs.  6d.  It  remained 
with  Mr.  Esdaile,  the  purchaser,  from  that  time  until  the  sale  of 
that  gentleman's  collection  in  1840,  when,  being  again  brought 
under  the  hammer,  it  was  purchased  for  a  gentleman  who  had  then 
lately  commenced  collecting,  at  23I/.,  and  this  was  considered  by 
no  means  a  high  price.  Indeed,  with  regard  to  a  print  of  this  class, 
it  is  difficult  to  say  what  price  is  too  high,  for  the  bidder  is  buying 
great  rarity,  combined  with  great  excellence. 

Of  the  eight  first  states  known  to  exist,  five  arc  removed  out  of 


68  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

the  market  ;  have  taken  the  veil,  at  it  were  ;  have  retired  out  of 
this  world  of  vicissitude,  and  are  locked  up  in  places  whence  is  no 
deliverance  ;  two  being  in  the  British  Museum,  one  in  the  Imperial 
Library  at  Vienna,  one  in  the  Royal  Collection  at  Amsterdam,  and 
one  in  the  Royal  Library  at  Paris.  Of  the  remaining  three,  one  is 
in  the  possession  of  Baron  Verstalk,  another  of  an  English  noble- 
man, and  the  third  is  in  the  collection  of  the  gentleman  just  referred 
to  as  the  purchaser  of  Mr.  Esdaile's  impression.1 

But,  independent  of  rarity,  this  print  is  inestimable  as  a  work  of 
art.  It  is  a  specimen  of  the  inimitable  artist's  ability  in  copper, 
which,  of  itself  alone,  well  justifies  the  remark  that  has  been  made, 
that  Rembrandt's  etchings  are  the  rivals  of  his  pictures  ;  and  it  is 
gratifying  to  know  that  it  is  not  mere  rarity  that  raises  this  print 
to  so  high  a  value,  but  that  the  intrinsic  excellence  and  beauty  of 
it  has  also  its  part  in  the  enhancement.  This  is  shown  by  the  cir- 
cumstance that  the  Hundred  Guilder  is  even,  in  the  after  state,  a 
print  of  very  high  price.  At  Mr.  Pole  Carew's  sale,  in  1835,  a  fine 
impression  of  this  print,  in  this  its  second  state,  was  bought,  for  an 
eminent  titled  collector,  for  i63/.  i6s. 

An  impression  from  this  plate,  as  finished,  is  occasionally  seen 
which  approaches  very  near,  and  is,  perhaps,  quite  equal  in  effect, 
to  these  rare  first  states  ;  and  indeed  this  may  well  be  the  case,  for 

1  The  highest  price  paid  for  any  one  print  at  public  auction  up  to  the  present 
time  was  at  the  sale  of  Sir  Charles  Price's  collection,  dispersed  in  London  in 
February,  1867,  when  one  of  the  eight  known  copies  in  the  first  state  of  the 
plate  of  Rembrandt's  Hundred  Guilder  Piece  (Christ  Healing  the  Sick),  and 
printed  upon  India  paper,  was  sold  to  Mr.  Palmer  for  ;£n8o.  This  was  the 
print  referred  to  in  the  text  as  having  belonged  to  Baron  Verstalk.  In  1868,  after 
Mr.  Palmer's  death,  it  again  appeared  in  Sotheby's  auction  rooms,  and  at  his 
sale  brought  .£1100,  becoming  the  property  of  Mr.  Dutuit,  of  Lyons,  France,  where 
it  now  forms  part  of  his  superb  collection.  This  identical  print  was  originally  pur- 
chased of  Rembrandt  himself  by  J.  P.  Zomers.  It  passed  from  him  to  Signor  Zanetti 
of  Venice.  At  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  it  was  bought  by  Baron  Dcnon  ; 
then  it  came  into  the  possession  of  Mr.  Wilson,  and  afterward  went  to  Baron  Verstalk. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  69 

no  one  will  pretend  to  believe  that  there  can  be  any  perceptible 
difference,  cceteris  paribus,  between  the  last  proof  impression  and 
the  first  impression  after  proofs.  And  again,  although  the  first 
states  are  generally  on  India  paper,  many  connoisseurs  are  of  opin- 
ion that  the  Hundred  Guilder  is  a  print  which  shows  better  on  plain 
paper.  Like  most  of  Rembrandt's  etchings,  the  tone  is  kept  so 
low  that  the  still  further  lowering,  produced  by  the  tint  of  India 
paper,  impairs,  rather  than  improves,  the  effect.  For  such  beauty 
and  such  perfection  of  art  as  are  displayed  in  this  exquisite  print, 
or,  we  might  almost  say,  picture,  a  collector  of  real  taste  will  not 
consider  any  price  too  high  which  he  can  afford  to  pay.' 

The  portrait  of  "  Advocate  Tolling,"  by  Rembrandt,  is  another 

1  It  is  unfortunately  more  desirable  now  than  ever  before  that  the  collector  should 
have  a  knowledge  of  the  mercantile  value  of  the  prints  he  wishes  to  possess.  The 
keenest  desire  for  their  acquisition  is  not  often  found  in  the  proprietor  of  the  longest 
purse,  and  a  very  long  purse  is  now  requisite  if  choice  examples  of  the  best  masters 
are  wanted.  In  fact,  the  necessary  expenditure  often  assumes  proportions  suggestive 
of  an  investment,  and  most  people  cannot  afford  to  entirely  divest  their  minds  of  this, 
artistically  speaking,  unworthy  association.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  collections 
dispersed  in  Europe  under  the  auctioneer's  hammer,  fetching  from  twenty-five  to  fifty 
thousand  dollars,  and  these  are  often  not  large  collections  either.  If  we  look  into  this 
matter  from  a  strictly  financial  point  of  view,  it  will  be  found  that  for  the  last  seventy- 
five  years  the  prices  of  fine  prints,  although  slightly  fluctuating  at  times,  have  steadily 
advanced.  In  this  respect  they  will  compare  favorably  with  investments  in  stocks, 
bonds,  real  estates,  or  perhaps  any  securities  in  which  money  is  ordinarily  placed.  It 
is  true  they  yield  no  percentage  of  money  interest  from  year  to  year,  but  they  seem  to 
have  carried  this  with  them.  This  is  evidenced  by  the  facts.  At  the  same  time  it 
would  be  manifestly  unwise  for  any  one  who  does  not  esteem  these  works  of  art  for 
their  own  sake,  to  commence  their  purchase  as  a  simple  matter  of  investment. 

The  cause  of  the  rise  in  the  values  of  good  prints  is  evident  enough.  There  is  a 
limit  to  the  supply.  There  can  be  no  more  Rembrandts  and  no  more  Dlirers  or  Marc 
Antonios.  There  may  be  other  great  masters,  but  their  works  can  no  more  supersede 
these  than  Rembrandt  resembled  or  superseded  DUrer.  The  incredulous  have 
thought,  and  will  continue  to  predict,  that  the  prices  such  objects  command  will  fall, 
but  as  long  as  the  paper  upon  which  they  are  printed  lasts,  and  time  spares  the  bril- 
liancy of  the  impression,  they  must  continue  to  advance  and  find  a  ready  market  in 


70  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 

print  of  very  great  rarity,  but  of  such  merit,  also,  as  to  save  our 
being  driven  to  the  conclusion  that  rarity  is  the  sole  or  chief  occa- 
sion of  its  high  value  ;  and  it  is  trusted,  therefore,  that  the  advance 
of  its  price,  in  modern  times,  is  a  proof  of  a  more  adequate  appreci- 
ation by  the  public  of  the  beauties  which  it  displays. 

At  the  sale  of  Mr.  Hibbert's  collection,  in  1809,  Mr.  Pole  Carew 
bought  an  impression  of  this  print  at  $6/.  14^. ;  at  the  sale  of  Mr. 
Pole  Carew's  collection,  in  1835,  this  same  impression  was  pur- 
chased, for  Baron  Verstalk,  for  22O/.  There  is  an  exceeding  fine 

the  centres  of  European  civilization.  There  are,  of  course,  changes  in  fashion  ;  at 
times  one  master  and  then  another  will  be  in  the  ascendant  in  popular  estimation,  but 
the  advance  will  be  found  to  have  been,  so  to  speak,  "  along  the  whole  line." 

Upon  reviewing  the  mercantile  history  of  prints,  we  do  not  find,  after  all  that  may 
be  asserted,  that  they  are  more  affected  by  the  changes  occurring  in  the  world  than  any 
other  form  of  property,  and  there  is  one  thing  in  their  favor — when  communities  or 
individuals  shift  their  positions  they  are  as  readily  shifted  with  them. 

In  1799  a  collection  of  engravings  formed  by  Mr.  Daniel  Daulby,  an  enthusiastic 
collector,  especially  of  the  works  of  Rembrandt,  was  sold  under  the  hammer  in  Liver, 
pool.  This  was  probably  the  most  valuable  and  important  assemblage  of  prints  by 
this  artist  hitherto  formed  in  Great  Britain.  After  the  sale  of  the  first  portion  of  Mr. 
Daulby's  collection,  comprising  a  large  number  of  engravings  by  various  artists, 
among  which  examples  by  Marc  Antonio,  ten  or  twelve  in  the  lot,  were  knocked  down 
at  the  rate  of  a  couple  of  shillings  each,  the  whole  collection  of  Rembrandt,  embracing 
about  five  hundred  prints,  mostly  in  the  earliest  and  rarest  states,  were  disposed  of 
together  for  ^600,  and  bought  by  Colnaghi  of  London.  This  printseller  appears  to 
have  kept  the  collection  intact,  and  caused  it  to  be  resold  in  detail  the  following  year 
by  Christie,  in  London,  when  it  brought  a  total  of  .£648,  sterling. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  prices  obtained.  The  landscape  of  the  Coach  brought 
the  highest  price  of  any  one  piece,  viz.,  £21.  i.  Among  others,  at  correspondingly 
low  prices,  the  Hundred  Guilder  Piece  (a  remarkably  fine  impression)  brought  £12.  i.  6; 
Our  Lord  before  Pilate  (first  state,  with  burr),  £2.  2.;  The  Descent  from  the  Cross 
(first  state),  £4.  4. ;  The  Three  Trees  (extremely  fine),  £2.  14  ;  Cottage  with  White 
Pales  (first  state),  £4.  18.  ;  Burgomaster  Six  (a  remarkable  impression),  £10.  10.  ; 
The  Banker  or  Gold-weigher  (first  finished  state),  ,£8.  12  ;  Great  Jewish  Bride  (first 
state  and  almost  unique),  £$.  15.  6. 

Among  the  Diirers,  an  Adam  and  Eve,  "a  beautiful  impression,"  was  sold  for 
£4.  40,  and  others  at  proportionate  prices. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  71 

impression  of  this  print,  and  in  fine  condition,  in  the  British 
Museum,  and  the  value,  at  this  time,  is  considered  to  be  above  3<x>/. 

Again,  a  first  state  of  a  portrait,  by  this  same  artist,  of  "  Cop- 
penol,"  a  writing-master,  in  not  very  good  condition,  was  pur- 
chased, in  1835,  by  Baron  Verstalk,  for  three  hundred  guineas, 
although  a  not  inferior  impression  of  the  same  state,  and  in  very 
fine  condition,  had  been  sold,  in  1798,  for  59/.  15^. 

Another  print  by  Rembrandt,  a  landscape,  in  which  the  charac- 
teristic of  the  first  state  is  that  a  tower,  which  is  in  the  background, 
is  surmounted  with  a  spire,  fetched,  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  Barnard's 
collection,  in  1798,  three  guineas  only  ;  but,  partaking  of  the  gen- 
eral rising  into  better  estimation  of  fine  prints,  the  same  impression 
sold  at  M.  Robert  Dumesnil's  sale,  in  1836,  for  54/.  12s. 

The  portrait,  by  Rembrandt,  called  "  The  Little  Coppenol, "  in 
its  first  state,  and  on  India  paper,  sold,  at  Mr.  Barnard's  sale,  in 
1798,  for  five  guineas  ;  but  at  the  sale  of  Sir  Thomas  Baring's  col- 
lection, in  1831,  it  was  bought  by  an  amateur,  well  known  as  having 
printed  a  catalogue  of  his  very  choice  collection,  for  9i/.  7-r.1 

1  An  account  of  the  prices  paid  at  auction  for  some  of  the  finest  etchings  and  en- 
gravings, during  the  last  few  years,  may  interest  the  reader.  One  of  the  most  notable 
collections  disposed  of  was  that  formed  by  Hugh  Howard,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  and  sold  at  Sotheby's  rooms  in  London  in  December,  1873.  It  was 
especially  rich  in  examples  of  the  early  Italian  school,  and  notably  in  the  works  of 
Marc  Antonio.  The  second  portion  of  the  same  collection,  sold  in  November,  1874, 
comprised  many  etchings  by  Rembrandt.  In  the  two  sales  there  were  about  2100  lots, 
which  realized  a  total  of  nearly  $40,000. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  prices  paid  : 

St.  John  the  Baptist,  by  Giulio  Campagnola  (early  impression  and  very  fine),  .£131. 

Portrait  of  Titian,  by  Agostino  Caracci  (first  state),  .£19. 

Albert  DUrcr's  Adam  and  Eve,  .£59. 

St.  Genevieve,  by  DUrer,  ^13. 

The  Melancholy,  by  Durer,  ^40. 

The  Angels  of  the  Sistine  Chapel,  by  Giorgio  Ghisi,  brilliant  state,  before  the  plates 
were  cleaned  and  before  the  address  (set  of  six  plates),  .£80. 

By  Lucas  Van  Leyden  :    The  Temptation  of  Adam  (beautiful  impression),  .£28  ; 


72  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Hitherto,  the  instances  brought  of  the  higher  value  set  by  the 
public,  of  late  years,  on  fine  engravings,  have  been  drawn  from  the 
prints  of  one  great  artist  only.  But  other  eminent  engravers  have 
also  felt  the  effect  of  the  improvement  of  the  general  taste,  and  of 
the  spread  of  general  interest ;  and  it  is  gratifying  to  be  able  to  ad- 
duce examples  of  this  in  the  works  of  an  artist  of  a  severer  school, 
and  whose  excellence  is  not  of  a  description  to  be  well  appreciated 
by  the  many.  We  might  notice  several  prints  of  the  fine  Italian 

Lot  and  his  Daughters  (brilliant  impression  in  matchless  condition),  .£161  ;  The  Virgin 
with  Infant  Christ  seated  in  a  landscape,  £6g  ;  Mars  and  Venus,  .£36. 

The  Flagellation,  by  Andrea  Mantegna,  £16.  16. 

Hercules  fighting  the  Serpent,  by  Mantegna,  ^30.   10. 

The  Battles  of  Sea-gods  (two  plates),  j£iS. 

St.  Anthony  standing,  by  Israel  von  Meckenen,  £12.  12. 

By  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi  :  Adam  and  Eve  (early  impression  before  retouch),  £6g  ; 
The  Expulsion,  £ij  ;  Massacre  of  the  Innocents  (fine  but  slightly  cut  at  the  bottom), 
£77  ;  The  Madonna  lamenting  over  the  dead  body  of  Christ,  ,£38  ;  The  Last  Supper, 
;£iO5  ;  Mary  and  Martha  ascending  the  steps  of  the  Temple,  £31.  10  ;  The  Madonna 
seated  on  the  clouds,  .£108  ;  Christ  seated  on  the  clouds,  £s9  ',  Cupid  with  three  chil- 
dren, £60  ;  Apollo  and  Hyacinthus  (slightly  repaired),  ^38  ;  Portrait  of  Pietro  Aretino 
after  Titian  (brilliant  proof  before  the  monogram),  a  rare  print,  of  which  one  other  only 
is  known  in  the  same  state,  £780. 

By  Benedetto  Montagna  :  An  Oriental,  seated,  with  landscape  background,  ,£51. 
By  Antonio  Pollajnolo  :  The  Battle  of  the  Giants,  £16. 

By  the  Master  of  the  Monogram  P.P.  :  An  unknown  allegorical  subject,  called  by 
Bartsch  "  La  Puissance  de  1' Amour,"  £gi. 

By  Prince  Rupert :  The  Great  Executioner  (second  state),  £$i. 

By  Rembrandt  van  Ryn  :  The  Three  Trees  (brilliant  impression),  £67.  10  ;  Triumph 
of  Mordecai  (very  fine),  £21  ;  Portrait  of  Rembrandt  leaning  on  a  stone  sill  (second 
state),  £43  ;  The  Presentation,  £26  ;  Christ  Preaching,  called  The  Little  Tomb,  £66  ; 
Christ  Healing  the  Sick  (second  state),  £106  ;  Christ  before  Pilate  (first  state),  ^251  ; 
The  Crucifixion  (first  state),  £211  ;  The  same  (third  state),  £71  ;  St.  Jerome  sitting  be- 
fore the  trunk  of  an  old  tree,  £37  ;  St.  Jerome  reading  (an  unfinished  plate),  £43  ; 
Woman  with  an  Arrow  (second  state),  £20.  10  ;  View  of  Amsterdam  (brilliant  impres- 
sion), £2%  ;  The  Three  Trees,  another  copy  (very  fine),  £82  ;  A  Landscape  with  a 
Vista,  £28.  10  ;  An  Arched  Landscape  with  a  flock  of  sheep  (third  state),  £2g.  10  ;  The 
Gold-weigher's  Field,  £36  ;  Janus  Silvius  (first  state),  £31  ;  The  Great  Jewish  Bride 
(fourth  state),  £34.  10. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  73 

artists  which  have  thus  risen  in  estimation,  but  one  shall  suffice. 
The  prints,  by  Marc  Antonio,  of  the  three  "  Angles  of  Farnesina," 
which  brought  98/.  14^.  at  the  sale  of  Sir  Mark  Sykes's  collection,  in 
1824,  had  been  purchased  by  that  gentleman,  about  ten  years  be- 
fore, at  the  Morley  sale,  for  i6/. 

Like  instances  may  be  noted  in  the  works  of  an  artist  of  great 
merit  in  his  way,  but  of  another  description,  and  one  who  has  al- 
ways been  popular.  The  portrait  of  "  Algernon,  Earl  of  Northum- 
berland," by  Hollar,  was  bought  by  Mr.  Townley,  at  the  sale  of 
Mr.  Barnard's  collection,  in  1798,  for  four  guineas  ;  when  the  same 
impression  was  offered  to  the  public,  at  Mr.  Townley's  sale,  in 
1818,  it  was  purchased,  for  the  Royal  Collection,  for  25/.  los. 

Hollar's  portrait  of  the  "  Duke  of  Norfolk  under  an  Arch"  was 
purchased,  for  Sir  Mark  Sykes,  at  the  sale  of  Sir  James  Winter 
Lake's  collection,  in  1808,  for  32/.  us. ;  but,  when  the  same  im- 
pression came  again  into  the  market,  on  the  sale  of  Sir  Mark  Sykes's 
collection,  in  1824,  it  brought  637.  Again,  at  the  same  sale  of  Sir 
James  Winter  Lake's  prints,  in  1808,  two  unfinished  portraits  of 
"  Lady  Shirley,"  by  Hollar,  were  sold,  respectively,  for  seventeen 
guineas  and  ten  guineas  ;  at  Mr.  Townley's  sale,  ten  years  after- 
wards, they  brought  43/.  is.  each. 

Sometimes  an  impression  will  acquire  an  extra  value  by  reason 
of  some  peculiarity  in  it  rendering  it  of  singular  interest,  such  as 
when,  on  an  unfinished  print,  the  unfinished  part  has  been  sketched 
in  by  the  artist  himself,  his  hand  being  recognized,  or  so  considered 
to  be,  in  his  work.  What  satisfactory  assurance  there  may  be  of 
this  is  another  matter.  Such  a  specimen,  if  well  authenticated,  is 
certainly  a  curiosity,  and  valuable  in  that  respect  ;  and,  beyond 
this,  has  such  an  interest,  as  affords  a  very  reasonable  and  just 
ground  for  enhancement  of  price.  We  say,  if  well  authenticated, 
for  it  is  obvious  that,  in  every  instance  of  this  sort,  there  must  be 
more  or  less  room  for  the  same  scepticism,  which  so  generally  at- 
taches to  pictures  and  drawings.  There  is  often  a  strong  disposition 


74  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

to  claim,  for  a  print,  an  adventitious  value  of  this  description,  where 
there  is  little  or  no  probability  of  its  being  due,  and  no  just  ground 
to  attribute  it. 

We  have  known  more  than  one  instance  of  a  collector  pur- 
chasing, at  an  auction,  a  very  rare,  fine,  and  high-priced  print,  and 
afterwards  discovering,  on  a  more  minute  examination  than  he  had 
before  submitted  it  to,  that  its  effect  had  been  heightened,  in  parts, 
by  a  wash  of  Indian  ink  or  other  color.  In  such  a  case,  the  only 
resource  of  the  unlucky  purchaser  is  to  persuade  himself,  and,  which 
is  more  difficult,  to  prevail  on  others  to  believe,  that  the  washing 
was  performed  by  the  hand  of  the  artist  himself,  either  the  engraver 
or  the  painter  ;  and,  if  he  be  so  fortunate  as  to  succeed  in  this,  he 
converts  into  an  advantage  what  would  else  have  been  a  disparage- 
ment.1 

1  Sale  at  Sotheby's,  1878,  of  the  Cambridge  University  Duplicates.  Etchings  by 
Rembrandt : 

Spanish  Gipsy  (slightly  torn  on  the  corners),  £56. 

An  Allegorical  Piece,  probably  the  demolition  of  the  Statue  of  the  Duke  of  Alva, 
£"2. 

Woman  sitting  before  a  Dutch  Stove  (third  state),  £2%. 

The  Three  Trees,  ^60. 

Landscape,  with  house  and  large  tree  by  it  (a  small  print),  .£45. 

The  Sportsman,  ^36. 

Peasant  carrying  milk-pails  (second  state),  from  P.  Mariette's  collection,  £(>o. 

Gold-weigher's  Field,  .£56. 

Portrait  of  Ephraim  Bonus  (second  state),  .£40. 

A  Copse  and  Paling,  with  studies  of  two  heads  and  a  house  seen  from  behind,  rare 
and  very  few  known,  possibly  one  of  but  four  or  five,  .£305. 

Sale  at  Sotheby's,  London,  1872.  Mezzotints  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  :  Mrs.  Ab- 
ington,  engd  by  Watson,  proof,  £28  ;  Duchess  of  Lancaster,  engd  by  Dixon,  proof, 
£22  ;  Mrs.  Carrac,  by  Smith  (fine  impression),  ^30  ;  Lady  Louisa  Manners,  by  Green, 
proof,  .£42  ;  Marchioness  of  Salisbury,  by  Green,  proof,  ,£30.  10  ;  Mrs.  Stanhope,  by 
J.  R.  Smith,  proof,  £39. 

Sale,  Sotheby's,  1871. 

By  Diirer  :  Virgin  seated  by  the  wall  of  a  house,  £20.  10  ;  St.  Jerome  in  Cell,  .£23. 
10;  Rape  of  Amymone,  £13.  5;  Shield  of  Arms  with  the  Cock,  ^23.  10 ;  Virgin 
crowned  by  two  Angels, 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  75 

Ahead  of  Rembrandt,  by  himself  (No.  8  of  Daulby's  Catalogue), 
having  the  body  drawn  in,  by  the  engraver,  in  black  chalk,  was 
bought,  for  the  late  Duke  of  Buckingham,  at  Mr.  Hibbert's  sale,  in 
1809,  for  5/.  At  the  sale  of  his  grace's  collection,  in  1824,  a  cele- 
brated English  collector  was  the  purchaser  of  it,  at  53/.  us.  On 
the  breaking  up  of  the  latter  gentleman's  cabinet,  in  1841,  this 
print  was  one,  among  many,  which  "were  selected  for  the  British 
Museum,  and  it  was  priced  at  IO5/. 

A  comparison  of  these  modern  prices  with  the  prices  which  the 
same  works  fetched  in  the  lifetimes  of  the  artists,  would  be  matter 
of  curiosity  merely  ;  all  circumstances  being  so  different,  as  to 
make  any  such  reference  valueless  in  other  respects  ;  but  where  any 
record  does  happen  to  exist  of  the  original  price,  it  is  interesting 
and  amusing  to  note  the  difference.  Thus,  it  has  been  already  ob- 
served, that  Rembrandt's  print  of  "  Christ  Healing  the  Sick"  sold, 
in  his  time,  for  about  eight  guineas  of  our  present  money. 

But,  to  go  back  to  a  much  earlier  date,  we  have  information  of 
what  Albert  Diirer  was  himself  able  to  obtain  for  his  engravings,  as 
he  published  them.  For  his  print  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  it  may 
well  be  assumed  that  it  was  an  early,  fine  impression,  and,  being 
new,  in  best  condition,  and  with  all  its  original  margin,  he  received, 
in  the  year  1520,  as  he  himself  informs  us,  four  stivers,  a  sum  equal 
to  about  eighteenpence  of  our  present  money.  The  set  of  sixteen 
prints,  called  "  The  Little  Passion,"  sold  for  a  sum  equal  to  two 
shillings  and  threepence  of  our  money  ;  and  the  sets  of  his  large 
woodcuts,  "  The  Apocalypse,"  '  The  Great  Passion,"  and  "The 

Sale  at  Sotheby's,  London,  1877.     Mezzotints  after  Reynolds  : 
Duchess   of   Devonshire,  proof   by  Green,  ,£88  ;  Duchess  of   Rutland,  by  Green, 
/40.  10. 

Sale  at  Sotheby's,  London,  1872.  Mezzotints  after  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  :  Mrs. 
Abington,  eng4  by  Watson,  proof,  ^28  ;  Duchess  of  Lancaster,  eng-1  by  Dixon, 
proof,  £22  ;  Mrs.  Carrac,  by  Smith,  .£30  ;  Lady  Louisa  Manners,  by  Green,  proof, 
£42  ;  Marchioness  of  Salisbury,  by  Green,  proof,  £30.  10 ;  Mrs.  Stanhope,  by  J.  R. 
Smith,  proof,  .£39. 


76  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Life  of  the  Madonna,"  produced  him  six  shillings  each  set.  '  The 
Eulenspeigel"  of  Lucas  Van  Leyden,  now  a  very  rare  print,  and 
worth,  perhaps,  when  fine  and  in  good  state,  about  5<D/.,  was 
bought  by  Albert  Du'rer,  at  Brussels,  for  a  stiver,  or  fourpence 
halfpenny  of  our  money. 

But  it  is  time  that  we  now  proceed  to  advert  to  the  other  obser- 
vation which  we  proposed  to  evidence  and  illustrate.  It  is  melan- 
choly to  contemplate  folly,  but  it  is  amusing  also,  because  absurdity 
is  generally  laughable. 

The  same  great  artist,  so  often  mentioned,  Rembrandt,  executed 
an  etching  of  a  little  dog  lying  asleep.  It  would  seem  that,  on  some 
occasion,  a  sleeping  dog  accidentally  attracted  his  notice,  and  that 
he  took  a  sudden  fancy  to  immortalize  the  little  animal  in  the  atti- 
tude of  the  moment.  He  hastily  snatched  up  the  first  piece  of  cop- 
per at  hand,  with  ground  ready  laid,  without  regard  to  fitness  of 
size  or  shape  ;  and,  as  it  happened  to  be  greatly  larger  than  was 
necessary,  he  scratched  his  subject  in  the  left-hand  corner  of  the 
plate,  working  in  that  part  only.  When  he  proceeded  to  take  an 
impression,  he  chanced  to  take  a  piece  of  paper  of  more  than  suf- 
ficient size  to  contain  his  work,  but  of  less  size  than  the  whole  cop- 
per, the  result  of  which  was,  that,  in  the  print,  no  plate  mark  ap- 
pears— that  is,  no  mark  of  the  edge  of  the  copper,  except  on  the  top 
and  right  hand.  Afterwards,  Rembrandt  cut  from  the  large  plate 
the  small  square  corner  on  which  he  made  his  etching,  and  from 
this  now  reduced  plate  the  subsequent  impressions  were  taken. 
The  work  itself  has  no  great  attraction  ;  it  is  imperfectly  bit,  and 
very  feeble  in  effect.  It  is  not  quite  three  inches  and  a  quarter 
long  by  one  inch  and  a  half  wide  ;  and  a  good  impression,  in  good 
condition,  is  adequately  valued  at  about  twenty  or  thirty  shillings. 
But,  whether  fortunately  or  unfortunately,  there  does  happen  to 
exist  one,  and,  as  is  believed,  only  one,  impression,  taken  from  the 
copper-plate  before  it  was  cut,  and  this  measures  nearly  four  inches 
and  a  quarter  long  by  two  inches  and  a  half  wide.  This  impres- 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  77 

sion  was  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Hibbert,  which  was  sold  by  auction 
in  1809.' 

Whether  it  was  that,  at  this  period,  when,  as  we  have  seen,  pub- 
lic taste  was  so  far  in  its  infancy,  or  confined  to  so  few,  that  the 
Hundred  Guilder  was  allowed  to  pass  for  one  sixth  of  its  present 
value,  public  folly  was  also  in  a  comparative  state  of  infancy  ;  or 
whether  it  was  that  the  peculiarity  of  this  impression  of  this  little 
print  had  not  yet  attracted  its  full  share  of  notice  ;  certain  it  is,  that 
the  sum  it  sold  for,  at  Mr.  Hibbert's  sale,  was  only  thirty  shillings. 
The  purchaser  was  M.  Claussin,  himself  an  artist,  a  great  admirer 
and  copyist  of  Rembrandt,  and  the  author  of  a  catalogue  of  his  en- 
gravings. M.  Claussin  sold  the  print,  at  a  small  advance  of  price, 
to  a  London  dealer  of  great  celebrity  ;  of  him  the  late  Duke  of 
Buckingham  purchased  it  for  61.  At  the  sale  of  his  grace's  collec- 
tion, in  1834,  connoisseurs  began  to  awaken  to  the  hitherto  inade- 

1  A  four  days'  sale  at  Sotheby's,  London,  December,  1878. 

Portrait  of  Mrs.  Robinson,  engraved  in  mezzotint  by  J.  R.  Smith,  after  G.  Romney 
(not  a  proof),  ,£32.  10. 

By  Albrecht  Diirer :  The  Passion  of  Christ  (16  plates,  even  set),  £42  ;  Madonna 
Crowned,  ^"16.  5  ;  Conversion  of  St.  Hubert  (very  fine),  £43.  10  ;  St.  Jerome  in  his 
chamber  writing  (in  perfect  preservation),  ^41  ;  Melancholia  (very  fine  early  impres- 
sion), £48  ;  Man  with  glory  on  his  head,  and  holding  a  pair  of  scales,  ^44  ;  An  Es- 
cutchecn,  bearing  a  skull  (brilliant  impression),  £  58  ;  Portrait  of  Erasmus  seated, 
£26.  10. 

By  Lucas  van  Leyden  :  Return  of  the  Prodigal  Son  (very  fine),  £21  ;  Magdalen  re- 
turning to  the  Pleasures  of  the  World  (very  fine),  £<yo  ;  Portrait  of  the  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian (brilliant  impression),  £100. 

By  Israel  Van  Meckelen  :  Christ  disputing  with  the  Doctors,  £i&.  15  ;  Virgin  and 
St.  Anne  with  Infant  Jesus  (fine  early  impression),  .£35. 

By  Rembrandt:  Angel  appearing  to  the  Shepherds  (third  state),  £26;  "  The  Hundred 
Guilder  Piece,"  or  Christ  Healing  the  Sick,  ,£ So  ;  St.  Jerome  with  the  Lion  (second 
state),  .£36  ;  View  of  Amsterdam,  £21  ;  Landscape  with  a  Vista  (third  state),  £20.  10  ; 
Landscape,  with  tower  in  ruins  (fourth  state),  .£35.  10 ;  Portrait  of  Ephraim  Bonus 
(fine,  second  state),  ,£67  ;  Portrait  of  Cappenol,  a  large  plate  (fourth  state),  £y). 

By  Martin  Schungauer  :  Adoration  of  the  Magi  (fine  early  impression),  .£35.  10  ; 
Flight  into  Egypt,  .£35.  10. 


78  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

quately  acknowledged  merits  of  the  "  little  dog,"  or  rather  of  the 
superfluous  abundance  of  blank  paper  bordering  him  on  two  points 
of  the  compass  ;  and  the  fortunate  purchaser  at  that  sale  was  con- 
tent to  pay  for  this  trumpery  print  6i/.  Nor  did  he  act  unwisely, 
for  it  is  understood  that  he  shortly  after  received  an  offer  from  a 
Dutch  collector  of,  first,  one  hundred  guineas;  then,  I5O/.  ;  and, 
at  last,  this  genuine  descendant  of  the  ancient  Tulipians  desired  the 
proprietor  to  name  his  own  price,  and  he  would  give  it. 

But  what  genuine  collector,  with  due  enthusiasm  for  his  pursuit, 
would  consent  to  part  with  such  a  print  at  any  price  whatever  ! 
The  happy  possessor  resisted  all  pecuniary  temptation,  and  retained 
his  "  little  dog"  until  he  disposed  of  his  whole  collection  ;  when, 
among  a  number  of  more  truly  valuable  prints,  selected  from  his 
portfolios,  and  bought  for  the  British  Museum,  this  curiosity,  so  to 
call  it,  passed  to  that  national  repository,  at  the  price  of  I2O/. ;  and 
the  present  worthy  curator  of  the  print-room  will  show  to  his  vis- 
itors a  twenty-shilling  print  on  one  hundred  and  nineteen  pounds' 
worth  of  blank  paper,  all  in  the  space  of  three  or  four  inches. 

It  may  be  advisable  to  say  a  word  here  in  explanation  of  our  ir- 
reverent style  of  speaking  on  this  subject.  There  may,  or  may  not, 
be  justness  in  designating,  as  we  have  ventured  to  do,  the  paying  a 
very  large  sum  for  an  article  of  small  intrinsic  value,  but  high 
priced,  by  reason  of  its  rarity  or  absolute  singularity,  and  of  that 
only,  as  a  species  of  folly.  We  do,  unquestionably,  consider  it  to 
be  so  in  an  individual  whose  professed  pursuit  is  the  collecting  of 
works  of  art  as  such  ;  but  it  is  otherwise  where  the  pursuit  is  of  a 
more  general  nature,  as  is  the  case  with  a  national  museum.  This 
seeks  to  possess,  not  only  what  is  excellent,  but  also  what,  though 
devoid  of  intrinsic  excellence,  is,  nevertheless,  rare  and  curious. 
Such  an  article,  therefore,  as  we  have  been  noticing,  comes,  with 
full  propriety,  within  the  legitimate  objects  of  a  public  national  es- 
tablishment, and  such  a  place  is  indeed  the  proper  deposit  for  it ; 
and  it  is  a  subject  of  congratulation  to  the  British  Museum  that  it 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  79 

possesses  the  unique  "  little  dog,"  and,  we  cannot  forbear  to  add,  a 
subject  of  congratulation  to  the  public  that  it  is  removed  from 
affording  opportunity  of  further  competition.' 

There  is  an  etching,  also  by  Rembrandt,  of  four  small  subjects 
which  were  executed  for  illustrations  to  a  book,  and,  accordingly, 
go  by  the  name  of  "  Four  Prints  for  a  Spanish  Book."  They  are 
prints  of  no  attraction  or  great  merit  ;  they  were  all  four  engraved 
on  one  large  piece  of  copper,  and,  after  some  alterations  had  been 
made,  the  copper  was  cut  into  four  pieces,  by  which  each  became  a 
separate  plate.  Meantime,  however,  a  few  impressions  of  the  ear- 
lier state  were  taken  off  from  the  uncut  plate,  and  these  necessarily 
showed  all  the  four  prints  on  one  sheet  of  paper.  These  sheets 
were,  in  like  manner,  cut  into  four,  for  the  obvious  purpose  of  being 
sewed  or  bound  up  into  their  respective  places  in  the  book. 

It  happened  that  some  very  few  of  these  whole  sheets  were  left 
entire.  Such  a  sheet,  with  all  the  four  prints  on  it,  and  before  the 
alteration  above  alluded  to,  appeared  in  the  sale  catalogue  of  Mr. 
Hibbert's  collection,  in  1809,  and  brought  the  fair  and  sufficient 
price,  estimated  by  common-sense,  of  I/.  Js.  The  purchaser  was 
the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  By  the  time  the  Duke's  collection  came 
to  the  hammer,  which  was  in  1834,  the  eyes  of  collectors  had  be- 
come open  to  the  value  of  rarities  of  this  description,  and  this  sheet 
of  four  little  prints  was  knocked  down  at  5//.  135-.,  the  purchaser 
being  the  collector,  whose  purchase  of  the  "  little  dog"  has  been 

1  Baron  Marochetti's  Sale  at  Sotheby's,  London,  in  March,  1868.  A  very  rich  col- 
lection, containing  many  of  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi's  best  works.  The  catalogue 
contained  687  lots,  which  realized  a  total  of  ^2960. 

Dance  of  Cupids,  by  Domenico  Campagnola,  .£50. 

By  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi :  Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise,  .£136  ;  Massacre  of  the 
Innocents,  ^40;  Virgin  with  Body  of  Saviour,  £41  ;  St.  Cecilia,  £51  ;  Triumph  of 
Titus,  £52  ;  Two  Fauns  carrying  a  child  in  a  basket,  ^56  ;  Apollo,  Minerva,  and  the 
Muses,  the  set,  £45  ;  Man  with  two  Trumpets,  .£48. 

By  Israel  Van  Mecklen  :  The  Dance  of  Herodias  brought  .£24. 

By  Schongaucr  :  The  Wise  and  Foolish  Virgins,  .£52.  10. 


8o  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

noted  as  having  proved  so  advantageous.  From  this  purchaser  the 
print  passed  to  the  British  Museum,  that  national  establishment 
being  happy  to  obtain  the  curiosity  at  the  price  of  one  hundred 
guineas.  Good  impressions,  in  good  condition,  of  these  prints, 
when  occurring  separately  in  their  usual  state,  which  they  often  do, 
sell  at  from  fifteen  to  twenty  shillings.1 

We  will  indulge  in  only  one  more  of  these  anecdotes  of  fancy. 
There  are  some  exceedingly  beautiful  and  delicate  etchings,  by 
Berghem,  of  goats  and  sheep.  They  form  two  sets  of  eight  prints 
each  ;  one  goes  by  the  name  of  "  The  Man's  Book,"  and  the  other 
of  "  The  Woman's  Book,"  from  the  circumstance  of  the  first  print 
of  the  set  representing,  the  one  a  male,  the  other  a  female,  peasant. 
It  happened  that  Berghem  etched  six  of  these  prints  on  one  plate  of 
copper  (a  similar  case  to  Rembrandt's  four  prints  for  a  Spanish 
book),  and  he  afterwards  cut  the  copper  in  pieces,  making  each 
print  a  separate  plate.  He  then  etched  more  plates,  extending  the 
sets  to  eight  prints  each,  as  above  related.  By  good  luck  or  bad, 
one  impression  exists,  taken  from  the  uncut  copper,  with  all  the 

1  The  sale  of  the  collection  of  Sir  John  Stuart  Hippisley,  at  Sotheby's,  in  1868,  com- 
prised 357  lots,  which  brought  a  total  of  over  .£3000. 

By  Rembrandt,  etchings  :  The  Hundred  Guilder  Piece,  brilliant  impression  of  the 
second  state,  .£124  ;  A  View  of  Omval,  .£24  ;  The  Three  Trees,  landscape,  ^83  ;  Por- 
trait of  John  Asselyn  (with  margin),  ^105  ;  Ephraim  Bonus  (second  state),  ^38  ;  The 
Great  Jewish  Bride  (first  state),  £  140. 

By  Diirer :  Virgin  seated  in  a  landscape  (very  fine  and  with  margin),  ^45  ;  St. 
Hubert,  £46.  15  ;  The  Knight  of  Death,  .£94. 

The  Duchess  Buccleuch,  with  her  child,  proof,  by  Watson,  after  Reynolds,  £4$. 

Lady  Bampfylde,  by  the  same,  ^3". 

Lady  Cavendish,  by  Green,  ^32. 

Duchess  of  Devonshire,  by  Green,  a  proof,  ^60. 

By  Marc  Antonio  Raimondi  :  Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise,  .£240  ;  Massacre  of  the 
Innocents,  ^47.  10 ;  Saviour  seated  on  the  clouds,  ^192  ;  Dance  of  Cupids,  after  Ra- 
phael, ^149  ;  Judgment  of  Paris,  ditto,  ^94  ;  The  Bacchanalian  Frieze,  ^160  ;  Mars, 
Venus,  and  Cupid,  after  Montagna,  .£83  ;  Philosophy,  after  Raphael,  ^50  ;  The  Bath- 
ers, after  Michael  Angelo,  ,£80. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  81 

six  prints  upon  it.  One  only  !  a  unique  impression  !  and  therefore, 
in  the  estimation  of  determined  collectors  of  all  that  is  singular, 
invaluable.  M.  Claussin  bought  it,  at  the  sale  of  Mr.  Annesley's 
collection,  in  1809,  for  I2/.  15^.  It  afterwards  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  an  eminent  collector,  a  large  portion  of  whose  collection 
was  afterwards  purchased  by  the  British  Museum,  to  which  insti- 
tution this  print  was  sold  for  I2O/. ;  and  the  opinion  of  persons 
conversant  with  these  matters  is,  that  if  it  were  now  again  in 
the  market,  ic  would,  at  this  day,  bring  more  than  double  that 
sum.1 

To  have  belonged  to  any  noted  collection,  and  to  have  stood 
the  ordeal  of  a  public  sale,  and  to  have  gone  through  the  general 
and  rigid  examination  implied  in  that  ordeal,  and  to  have  then 
fetched  a  high  price,  and  to  be  registered  accordingly  in  the  preserved 
marked  catalogues  which  memorialize  these  sales,  is,  ever  after,  a 
passport  and  recommendation  to  an  impression  thus  circumstanced  ; 
it  gains  for  it  a  reputation  and  a  station.  In  coteries  of  connois- 
seurs and  dealers,  it  is  generally  known  which  is  the  best  or  rarest 
impression  of  each  of  the  most  important  ancient  prints,  and  in 
whose  cabinet  it  is  ;  and  as  the  print  descends  from  hand  to  hand, 
its  reputation  descends  with  it,  and  brings  into  notoriety  and  esteem 
whatever  collection  it  may  happen  to  adorn. 

1  We  do  not  think  it  a  good  plan  for  the  collector  to  set  out  with  the  intention  of 
obtaining  raiities  or  rare  states  of  impressions.  Sometimes  the  impressions  are  better 
and  clearer  after  a  number  have  been  worked  from  the  plate.  In  old  times  the  ama- 
teurs generally  did  not  consider  the  earliest  ones  the  best.  They  seemed  to  have  cared 
less  for  these  conditions  than  that  they  should  be  clear,  perfect  impressions,  the  ink 
evenly  distributed,  and  each  line  well  brought  out.  They  did  not  esteem  the  muddy 
appearance,  caused  by  the  plates  not  being  quite  cleaned  from  the  acid,  which  may 
have  spread  around  the  lines,  any  advantage,  as  it  was  not  intended  by  the  artist  to 
be  there.  One  has  to  pay  for  these  peculiarities  or  accidents,  which  they  sometimes 
were,  because,  perhaps,  such  examples  are  scarce.  We  would  rather  strive  to  select 
clear,  brilliant  impressions  in  good  condition,  leaving  the  rarities,  which  commend 
themselves  especially  as  such,  until  the  very  last. 


82  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

It  has  already  been  observed  that  many  collectors  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  setting  on  their  prints  marks  of  proprietorship,  either 
names  at  length,  initials,  ciphers,  or  monograms.  These  served, 
and  continue  to  serve,  to  assist,  and  indeed  bear  evidence  to  the 
pedigree,  if  we  may  so  call  it,  of  all  prints  that  have  passed  through 
the  hands  of  these  marking  proprietors. 

A  print  is  a  thing  easily  purloined  ;  there  are  some  of  very  high 
value  which  are,  nevertheless,  so  small  that  they  might  lie  in  the 
crown  of  a  hat,  or  even  in  the  palm  of  the  hand.  Public  collections 
are  generally  accessible  to  strangers,  on  very  slight  credentials  ; 
several  portfolios  are  often  open  at  the  same  time  in  different  parts 
of  the  room,  and  the  eye  of  the  superintendent  cannot  be  on  all. 
The  idea,  therefore,  of  marking  prints  in  a  sufficient  manner  to  iden- 
tify them  if  stolen,  would  suggest  itself  as  precautionary,  but  the 
necessity  of  it  has,  unfortunately,  been  shown  by  the  fact  of  em- 
bezzlements having  been  actually  made  to  a  considerable  amount. 
Such  an  instance  occurred  in  the  British  Museum  some  years  ago. 
A  well-known  caricaturist  and  publisher  was  detected  in  purloining 
to  a  great  extent,  and  he  had  the  effrontery  to  stamp,  upon  the  sto- 
len prints,  a  monogram  which  he  adopted  as  his  own  mark  of  pro- 
prietorship. 

Private  collections  are  not  so  liable  to  this  sort  of  depredation, 
since  they  are  seldom  left  accessible,  unless  to  persons  whose  char- 
acters are  known  to  be  sufficient  security.  To  these  there  is  no 
danger,  unless  from  wholesale  robbery,  which  danger,  in  the  case 
of  articles  which  do  not  show  their  value,  and  would  be  difficult  of 
disposal,  is  of  small  amount.  It  can  hardly  be  supposed,  therefore, 
that  it  was  apprehension  of  theft  alone  which  induced  collectors  to 
set  a  mark  upon  every  print  that  came  into  their  possession.  The 
practice,  it  is  feared,  arose  as  frequently  from  vanity  as  from  any 
better  source.  Of  these  marks,  some  are  in  manuscript,  others  im- 
pressed with  a  metal  stamp,  others  with  a  wooden  block  ;  some  ap- 
pear modestly,  and  in  that  place  only  where  marks  ought  to  be 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  83 

used,  if  they  must  be  used  at  all,  namely,  on  the  back  of  the  print, 
but  others  appear  on  the  face,  and  often  in  a  conspicuous  part. 

This  barbarous  custom  has  disfigured  very  many  fine  and  rare 
prints,  and  it  is  impossible  that  any  collector  who  so  practised  it 
could  have  had  any  true  feeling  for  the  objects  of  his  pursuit.  The 
very  eminent  collector,  Sir  Jacob  Astley,  whose  collection  was  sold 
in  1760,  stamped  mercilessly  his  cinquefoil  ermine  full  in  the  most 
conspicuous  part  of  the  face  of  his  prints.  Mr.  Hibbert  is  another 
great  collector  who  impressed  his  monogram  on  the  face  of  the 
print,  but  he  had  the  comparatively  good  taste  and  modesty  to 
plant  it  as  near  as  he  could  to  one  of  the  lower  corners. 

If  these  barbarities  were  perpetrated  from  a  vanity  of  sending 
down  to  posterity  the  name  of  the  collector,  in  company  with  the 
immortality  of  the  engraver,  the  object  has  not  always  succeeded. 
The  majority  of  these  defacers  have  met  the  fate  intended  for  the 
man  in  ancient  story,  who  aimed  at  posthumous  notoriety  by  means 
not  much  more  flagitious,  and  they  have  been  disappointed  by  the 
obliteration  of  their  name  from  the  memory  of  mankind.  They 
who  have  most  effectually  secured  to  themselves  the  immortality 
aimed  at  by  this  practice,  are  such  as  adopted  the  habit  of  writing 
their  names  at  full  length  on  the  back  of  their  prints,  and  some- 
times, but  very  rarely,  on  the  face  of  them,  of  which,  however, 
Pierre  Mariette  affords,  perhaps,  the  only  instance.1 

This  person  was  an  eminent  collector  and  dealer  about  the  mid- 
dle of  the  seventeenth  century  :  he  was  accustomed,  whenever  he 

1  The  practice  of  stamping  monograms  and  marks  upon  prints,  or  writing  either 
upon  the  backs  or  faces  of  them,  is  one  which  cannot  be  too  much  deprecated.  In 
most  cases  it  appears  to  be  instigated  by  a  desire  for  notoriety,  but  the  persons 
seeking  immortality  by  this  means  should  not  complain  if  they  find  themselves  placed 
on  a  par  with  those  who,  with  the  same  object  in  view,  write  and  carve  their  names 
on  Virgil's  tomb,  the  Pyramids,  and  church  spires,  or  pencil  them  upon  the  walls 
and  ceilings  of  Shakespeare's  house.  They  may  also  be  classed  with  those  who  inscribe 
their  names  in  full  with  ink  on  the  title-pages  of  books.  It  is  an  act  of  vandalism. 
There  is  not  one  among  thousands  who  commit  it  whose  mark  or  name  is  not  a  detri- 


84  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

happened  to  become  possessed  of  an  impression  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary beauty,  to  write  his  name  at  full  length,  and  a  date,  on  the  face 
of  the  print  ;  and  although  this  is  certainly  a  disfigurement,  yet 
such  is  Pierre  Mariette's  reputation  for  judgment  that  to  be  thus 
disfigured  is  no  disparagement  to  a  print,  but  the  contrary. 

Of  names  written  on  prints  at  full  length,  those  which  are  more 
frequently  met  with  are  as  follows  :  "  D.  Abegg  ;"  '  Edward 
Astley  ;"  "  Dom.  Artaria  ;"  "  Robert  Balmanno  ;"  '  John  Bar- 
nard," who  frequently,  however,  uses  his  initials  only  ;  "  W.  Bayn- 
tim  ;"  Bermann,  a  printseller  at  Vienna,  signing  "  Sigr  Bermann 
md  d'estps  Vienne  ;"  "  H.  Blake  ;"  "  T.  A.  Boerner  ;"  "  Joseph 
Camesina  ;"  'John  Chalon  ;"  "William  Cole;"  "  S.  Copley;" 
"  Couverlet  ;"  '  T.  Dodd,"  who  sometimes  uses  initials  only; 
"  H.  W.  Diamond  ;"  "  Franck  ;"  "  Richd  Ford,"  who  sometimes 
uses  initials  only;  "  F.  Gawet  ;"  "Harding;"  "  Karthstone  ;" 
"  Cl.  Aug.  Mariette;"  "  D.  J.  Mariette  ;"  "P.  Mariette  ;" 
"  J.  Mariette  ;"  "  Nandy  ;"  Naudet,  a  printseller  at  Paris,  signing 
"Chez  Naudet  Md  Destampes  au  Louvre;"  "Arthur  Pond;" 
"  Chris.  Raveley  ;"  "  Ch.  Ransky  ;"  "P.  Remy  ;"  "  S.  W.  Rey- 
nolds ;"  "  F.  Rechberger,"  which  signature  designates  the  collec- 
tion of  the  Count  de  Fries,  of  which  Rechberger  was  the  curator  ; 
"  Jan  Six,"  a  burgomaster  of  Amsterdam,  not  the  patron  of  Rem- 
brandt, but  a  burgomaster  of  the  same  name,  whose  collection  of 
prints  was  sold  about  seventy  years  ago  ;  "  Edwd  Skegg  ;"  "  N. 
Smith  ;"  "  G.  Storck,"  who  generally  adds  the  words  "  a  Milano  ;" 
Terry,  a  printseller  at  Brussels,  signing  "  L  pe  Terry;"  "  De 
Valois  ;"  and  "  W.  F.  Zincke." 

merit,  and  even  in  the  case  of  this  one  its  desirability  is  questionable.  Nothing  is 
easier  than  to  counterfeit  the  marks,  and  it  is  probable  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
prints  bearing  Mariette's  name  have  it  in  counterfeit. 

As  the  collector's  marks  exist  in  such  numbers,  and  are  often  quoted,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  take  them  into  consideration  in  order  to  detect  the  counterfeits  ;  for  there 
is  no  denying  the  fact  that  a  name  like  that  of  Mariette's,  when  genuine,  is  a  sort  of 
passport  to  an  engraving  as  an  object  of  merchandise. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  85 

Of  initials,  ciphers,  or  monograms,  used  by  collectors  as  marks 
of  proprietorship,  three  plates  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  this 
chapter.  Nearly  all  of  these  are  fac-similes,  copied  from  the  mono- 
grams themselves  ;  but,  in  some  few  instances,  we  have  been 
obliged  to  rely  on  a  copy  obtained  elsewhere,  without  having  our- 
selves seen  the  original.  Such  of  these  proprietors'  marks  as  we 
are  enabled  to  appropriate  are  numbered  in  correspondence  with  a 
list  "which  we  give  of  the  persons  to  whom  they  are  known,  or  con- 
sidered to  belong.  Such  as  have  no  numbers  attached  to  them  we 
cannot  at  present  identify.  In  turning  over  large  collections  of 
ancient  prints,  many  more  of  these  proprietary  marks  might  no 
doubt  be  found  ;  and,  by  a  little  research,  many  of  those,  which  we 
are  content  to  class  as  anonymous,  might,  probably,  be  appropriated. 
But  it  has  not  been  our  purpose  to  attempt  a  perfect  collection  ; 
we  will,  nevertheless,  mention,  in  addition,  several  that  have  been 
observed  by  us  and  noted  from  time  to  time,  but  of  which  we  have 
not  the  means  of  giving  fac-similes  or  representations. 

A  cross,  of  the  form  which  heralds  call  "  patee,"  appears  occa- 
sionally on  an  ancient  print;  This  is  believed  to  denote  that  the 
print  came  from  the  collection  of  Leo  the  Tenth,  or  of  the  Bishop 
of  Arezzo. 

A  lion,  rampant,  within  an  oval  cartouch,  is  considered  to  desig- 
nate the  collection  of  Prince  Rupert. 

The  prints  belonging  to  King  Charles  the  First  were  marked 
with  a  star  of  eight  long  points  ;  those  of  Count  Caylus  with  a  star 
of  five  long  points  ;  and  several  other  varieties  appear  of  the  star  as 
a  monogram. 

A  human  eye  is  the  monogram  of  Hone,  a  portrait  painter. 

Arthur  Pond,  though  he  was  generally  content  with  his  initials, 
or  name  at  length,  is  said  to  have  used  also  a  circle  with  serpentine 
radii. 

Constantine  Jennings  stamped  his  prints  with  a  dcmi-griffin, 
being  his  crest. 


86  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Noblemen  generally  added  coronets  to  their  devices. 

Of  initial  letters,  used  as  marks  of  proprietorship,  we  may  no- 
tice the  following,  beyond  what  are  figured  in  our  plates  : 

The  letters  B.  W.  signify  Benjamin  West,  formerly  President 
of  the  Royal  Academy. 

The  Roman  capital  D,  surmounted  with  a  coronet,  designates 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire. 

G.  R.,  in  Roman  capitals,  Gerald  Reyntz,  a  Dutch  collector  of 
the  time  of  King  Charles  the  First. 

The  letter  L,  in  italic  capital,  within  a  triangle,  Le  Roy. 

A  cipher  of  double  L,  in  italic  capitals,  the  second  L  the  reverse 
way,  and  the  whole  within  a  circle,  L'Empereur. 

A  cipher  of  three  letters  T,  printed  in  gold,  John  Talman. 

The  letters  W.  O.,  William  Young  Ottley,  late  keeper  of  the 
prints  in  the  British  Museum. 

The  letter  X,  or  two  letters  C  joined  back  to  back,  denotes  the 
collection  of  Lord  Clive. 

R.  D.,  in  very  small  Roman  capitals,  within  a  small  oval,  length- 
ways, the  whole  printed  in  blank,  Robert  Dumesnil. 

A  Roman  capital  C,  with  a  hyphen  drawn  across  it,  signifies  the 
Crozat  collection. 

A  Roman  capital  G,  stamped  blank,  Mr.  Gevers. 

The  Roman  capital  S,  twining  round  a  staff,  surmounted  with  a 
star,  Lord  Spencer. 

The  Roman  capitals  V.  H.,  Van  Haaken,  or  Hawkins,  Hud- 
son's drapery  painter. 

The  Roman  capital  W,  stamped  in  blank,  Mr.  White,  print- 
seller. 

There  occur,  also,  the  following  initials,  which  we  are  at  present 
at  a  loss  to  appropriate  : 

C.  G.,  surmounted  with  a  coronet,  the  whole  within  a  circle, 
the  letters  and  coronet  being  white,  and  the  ground  within  the 
circle  black. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  87 

The  initials  E.  B.,  in  italics. 

The  single  letter  L,  in  italic  character. 

Open  letters  V.  C,  in  Roman  capitals. 

The  Roman  capital  D,  stamped  in  blank. 

The  Roman  capitals  R.  W. ;  also  S.  G. ;  also  S.  G.  B. ;  also  M.  W. 

Prints  from  the  Dijonval  collection  are  characterized  by  a  back 
edging,  pasted  along  each  of  the  four  sides. 

The  prints  in  the  collection  of  the  Count  de  Fries  were  mounted 
upon  paper  of  a  peculiar  color  and  texture,  and  which  is  now  gen- 
erally known  as  the  De  Fries  paper. 

John  Talman  was  accustomed  to  put  a  border  of  burnished  gold 
round  his  prints  or  their  mounting  paper.  The  late  Duke  of  Buck- 
ingham also,  occasionally,  bordered  his  prints  with  an  edging  of 
gold  paper. 

J.  Gulstone  numbered  each  of  his  prints  at  the  back,  as  No. 
6341  ;  and  he  generally  added  the  price  at  which  he  valued  it. 

The  British  Museum  have  now  two  marks  in  use.  On  their 
large  modern  prints  appear  the  Royal  Arms  under  the  words 
"  British  Museum,"  the  whole  within  an  oval  ;  their  other  prints, 
of  recent  acquisition,  are  stamped  with  a  crown,  having  above  it  the 
word  "British,"  and  below  it  "Museum."  Formerly  the  prints 
in  this  national  collection  were  stamped  with  a  blank  die,  in  the 
form  of  an  oval  belt,  having  on  it  the  words  "  British  Museum  ;" 
and  in  the  central  space  formed  by  the  belt  appeared,  in  manu- 
script, initials  designating  the  collection  whence  the  print  came,  as 
C.  M.  C.,  for  Cracherode  ;  H.  S.,  for  Sir  Hans  Sloane  ;  W.  F.,  for 
Faulkner.  A  specific  distinct  mark  was  used  for  Mr.  Payne 
Knight's  collection,  being  a  small  oval  with  the  words  "  British 
Museum"  within  it,  and  between  them  the  initials  R.  P.  K.  The 
present  mode  of  designating  the  collections  from  which  prints  are 
acquired  is  shown  in  our  third  plate,  in  the  instance  of  the  Sheep- 
shanks' collection. 

By  means  of  these  marks  of  proprietorship,  the  transmission  of 
an  identical  impression  may,  sometimes,  be  traced  for  a  considera- 


88  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

ble  period  of  time.  A  fine  impression,  on  India  paper,  perhaps  the 
finest  in  existence,  of  the  first  state  of  Rembrandt's  print  of  Christ 
presented  to  the  People,  always  called,  but  improperly,  ' '  Our  Lord 
before  Pilate, ' '  now  in  a  private  collection  to  which  we  have  had 
access,  has  upon  it  records  of  proprietorship  for  nearly  a  century. 
At  the  back  is  the  autograph  of  Pierre  Remy,  with  the  date,  1749  ; 
in  front  is  the  mark  of  Sir  Jacob  Astley,  whose  collection  was  sold 
in  1760  ;  next  appears  the  monogram  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  who 
died  in  1792  ;  from  Sir  Joshua  this  print  passed  to  the  late  Duke 
of  Buckingham  ;  at  the  breaking  up  of  his  grace's  collection,  in 
1834,  the  property  was  transferred  to  a  distinguished  collector,  who 
has  been  more  than  once  alluded  to  in  these  pages  ;  -and  from  him, 
in  1841,  it  came,  through  a  printseller,  into  the  hands  of  the  pres- 
ent possessor. 

It  is  certainly  a  very  interesting  thing  to  trace  the  transmission 
of  a  fine  print  in  this  manner,  and,  therefore,  one  can  hardly  regret 
the  past  usage  which  enables  us  to  do  this  ;  nor  can  we,  for  pos- 
terity's sake,  desire  that  it  should  be  wholly  discontinued.  But  it 
is  hoped  that,  as  collectors  acquire  better  taste  and  feeling,  they 
will  abandon  the  practice  of  stamping  their  prints  with  any  mark, 
and  be  content  with  recording  their  proprietorship  in  manuscript 
only,  and  that  in  small  and  slight  character,  and  at  the  back,  and 
never  on  the  face  of  the  print  ;  and  to  confine  even  this  to  the 
margin,  if  margin  there  be. 

Names  of  collectors,  or  others,  whose  monograms,  initials,  or 
ciphers  are  represented  in  the  accompanying  plates  : 


No. 

1.  --  Allen. 

2.  Sir  Jacob  Astley,  or,  rather, 
the  Astley  family,  for  there 
were  several  successive  collec- 
tors of  this  name  and  house. 


No. 


3.  Lord  Aylesford. 

4.  —  Bainbridge. 

5.  John  Barnard,  who  frequent- 
ly also    wrote   his  name  at 
full  length. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


89 


No. 

6. 


n. 

12. 

13- 
14. 


16. 

17- 
18. 
19. 
20. 

21. 
22. 

23- 
24. 
25. 
26. 
27. 


28. 
29. 


A  number  has  been  attached 
to  this  cipher  by  mistake  : 
it  is  unknown. 
—  Becker,  of  Dresden. 
Alexander  Beugo. 
John  Binmer. 

Marianne     Bovi,     engraver 
and  print  publisher. 
The  Rev.  W.  J.  Bree. 
The  Earl  of  Cholmondeley. 
Thomas  Clutterbuck. 
Rev.      Clayton      Mordaunt 
Cracherode. 

Deighton,      printseller    and 
caricaturist  :  there  were  two 
of  the  name. 
Baron  Vivant  Denon. 
Captain  Donnadieu. 
Etienne  Durand. 
William  Edwards 
William  Esdaile. 
G.  Franck. 
Peter  Goodeson. 
George  Hibbert. 
Edward  Holmes. 
Richard  Hudson. 
Sir  Thomas  Lawrence. 
Prosper    Henry   Lanckrink, 
page   to   King  Charles  the 
First. 

Sir  Peter  Lely. 
Francois  Mariette. 


No. 
30. 
SI- 
32. 


33- 
34- 

35- 
36. 
37- 
38. 

39- 
40. 
41. 
42. 


43- 
44. 

45- 
46. 

47- 
48. 

49- 

50. 


H.  Moore. 
Thomas  Phillips. 
Arthur   Pond  ;    who   some- 
times also  wrote  his   name 
at  length,  and  to  whom  is 
also  attributed  a  monogram 
of  a  circle  with   serpentine 
radii. 

Sir  Joshua  Reynolds. 
Jonathan    Richardson,    the 
father. 

William  Richardson. 
William  Roscoe. 
Michael  Rysbrach,  statuary. 
Edward  Scriven. 
Sir  Hans  Sloane. 
Sir  John  St.  Aubin. 
Sir  Mark  Masterman  Sykes. 
Doctor      Peter      Sylvester. 
These     letters     occur    also 
without  the  star,  and  open 
on  a  black  ground. 
—  Thornton. 
R.  Udney. 

Collins,  miniature  painter. 
Christian  Josi. 

-  Rogers. 

-  Flink,  of  Rotterdam. 
Von  Putten. 

Thomas   Howard,    Earl    of 

Arundel. 

Dr.  Peart. 


9° 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


No. 

52.  Nicolini  Haym,  musician. 

53.  Thomas    Hudson,    portrait 
painter. 

54.  Thomas  Dodd. 

55.  William  Baillie,  commission- 
er of  stamps,  engraver. 

56.  —  Thane,   who    also  wrote 
his  name  at  length,  but  in 
the  reverse  order  of  the  let- 
ters, "  Enaht." 


No. 

57.  Charolois. 

58.  J.    P.  Zoames,  a  friend    of 
Rembrandt. 

59.  Pierre  Remy,  who  also  wrote 
his  name  at  full  length. 

60.  This  is  the  mark  used  by  the 
British   Museum   to    desig- 
nate  the   prints  that  came 
from  the  collection  of  Mr. 
Sheepshanks. 


CHAPTER  V. 

OF  THE  EXTENT  OR  LIMIT  OF  A  COLLECTION. 

THE  few  observations  that  suggest  themselves,  with  respect  to 
the  extent  to  which  a  collection  should,  under  circumstances,  be 
carried,  might  have  been  introduced,  with  apparently  more  pro- 
priety, at  the  time  when  we  were  treating  of  classification  ;  but 
they  have  been  postponed  to  the  present  place,  because  they  rather 
require  to  be  preceded  by  the  remarks  that  have  now  been  made 
on  subjects  much  affecting  the  inquiry. 

It  is  not  meant  to  discuss  the  question  of  extent  of  collection  in 
the  general  ;  for  this  will,  of  course,  always  depend  on  the  dispo- 
sition of  the  collector,  or  the  amount  of  his  means.  The  occupier 
of  a  palace,  the  curators  of  a  public  museum,  may,  and,  in  the  lat- 
ter case,  perhaps  ought  to  endeavor  to  collect  all  the  works  of  all 
artists,  and  in  all  their  states,  and,  as  hereditary  succession  in  the 
one  case,  and  permanency  of  establishment  in  the  other,  removes 
the  narrow  limit  which,  among  humbler  individuals,  restricts  the 
collector  to  what  can  be  accomplished  within  the  period  of  a  single 


92  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

life,  this  may,  in  process  of  time,  perhaps,  be  nearly  effected  ;  nearly, 
not  fully  ;  because  if  the  only  known  impression  of  a  print,  there- 
fore called  unique,  be  locked  up  in  one  public  institution,  it  must 
ever,  while  that  institution  endures,  remain  among  the  desiderata 
of  every  other  ;  and,  to  this  extent,  all  others  will  be  imperfect. 

But  we  will  confine  our  observations  to  such  as  may  be  applica- 
ble to  those  persons  only  to  whom  they  are  meant  to  be  addressed 
— persons,  namely,  of  the  usual  average  means,  opportunities  and 
desires  ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  but  on  one  point  that  any  remarks  are 
necessary. 

To  any  one  who  collects  extensively,  and,  more  especially,  to 
any  one  who,  not  so  collecting,  selects  one  or  more  masters  as  the 
object  of  his  choice,  meaning  to  confine  himself  to  them,  the  ques- 
tion will,  very  soon,  be  forced  upon  him,  whether  or  no  he  should 
make  a  point  to  extend  his  collection  to  the  entire  works  of  any 
favorite  master,  and  whether  to  all  the  varieties  of  states  of  his  dif- 
ferent prints.  As  the  principal  prints  are  obtained,  and  as  more 
and  more  accumulate,  and  the  collection  begins  to  deserve  a  repu- 
tation, there  may  arise  a  very  strong  temptation  to  make  the  collec- 
tion perfect.  An  ambition  is  created  to  rank,  among  brother  col- 
lectors, as  pre-eminent  above  all  others,  for  the  excellence  and  com- 
pleteness of  his  specimens,  of  some  one  favored  engraver  ;  and  the 
truth  must  be  admitted  that  in  many  cases  such  pre-eminence  is 
not  to  be  attained,  but  by  an  accumulation  which  a  person  of  rea- 
sonable judgment,  and  uninitiated  in  the  mysteries  of  collecting, 
will  probably  consider  by  no  means  worthy  of  its  cost,  or,  indeed, 
desirable  to  possess. 

Divesting  one's  self  of  the  enthusiasm,  or  vanity,  which  leads  to 
this  temptation,  and  considering  the  subject  according  to  the  dic- 
tates of  common-sense,  there  certainly  appear  several  reasons 
against  yielding  to  it. 

Firstly,  there  are  very  few  artists  all  of  whose  works  are  worthy 
of  their  hand. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECl'OR.  93 

Secondly,  there  occur,  occasionally,  in  the  works  of  the  finest 
engravers,  prints  that  are  highly  objectionable  on  account  of  the 
indelicacy  of  their  subject,  or  the  gross  manner  of  treating  it ;  some, 
indeed,  wholly  inadmissible  into  a  portfolio,  which  is  ever  left 
accessible.  Such  are,  technically,  called  "  free  subjects." 

Thirdly,  there  are  some  one  or  more  prints,  of  nearly  every 
important  master,  which  are  of  very  moderate  value  when  estimated 
on  the  score  of  their  intrinsic  merit  or  beauty,  and  yet  which  bear 
an  exceedingly  high  price,  by  reason  of  the  single  accidental  quality 
of  being  very  rare  ;  and  these  would  certainly  not  be  worth  possess- 
ing at  any  thing  like  the  sum  which  they  fetch,  whenever  they  do 
happen  to  make  their  appearance,  were  it  not  for  the  fancy  of  mak- 
ing the  collection  complete. 

Fourthly,  this  degree  of  rarity  is  sometimes  extreme.  Besides 
prints  which  are  unique,  as  already  noticed,  there  are  others  of  so 
rare  occurrence  as  to  have  obtained  the  adjunct  of  ' '  presque  unique. ' ' 
Of  the  artists  to  whose  works  these  belong,  it  is  either  alto- 
gether or  nearly  impossible  to  form  a  complete  collection,  and 
where  once  a  deficiency  is  admitted  in  that  whose  excellence  is  sup- 
posed to  consist  in  its  completeness,  the  deficiency  may  as  well  be 
extended  to  two  or  several  as  to  one. 

Lastly  arises  the  perplexing  question,  whether  to  draw  any  and 
what  line  respecting  "  states."  Should  or  should  not  a  collector 
determine  to  possess  himself,  as  far  as  he  possibly  can,  of  the  same 
print  in  each  of  its  different  "states"?  This,  we  venture  to  an- 
swer, must  depend  much  upon  the  object  which  the  individual  has 
in  view.  If  his  ambition  be  to  be  recognized,  in  the  coterie  of 
connoisseurship,  as  a  professed  collector  of  such  or  such  a  master, 
he  must  certainly  do  this  at  whatever  cost  of  pocket,  and.  we  were 
about  to  say,  of  taste  and  rational  judgment  ;  but  if  he  can  refrain 
from  aiming  at  this  distinction,  and  if  he  resolve  to  stand  free  and 
uninfluenced  by  any  motives  but  those  of  discretion  and  common- 
sense,  he  will,  perhaps,  endeavor  to  mark  out  a  line  by  which  to 
limit  his  collection  in  this  respect. 


94  TffE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

This  question  of  states  we  will  again  return  to,  after  first  advert- 
ing to  another  subject  more  easily  disposed  of.  Public  and  other 
extensive  collections  generally  aspire  to  contain  not  only  an  im- 
pression of  every  print  by  every  engraver,  and  that  in  every  state 
of  the  plate,  but  also  all  copies  that  have  been  made  of  his  prints. 
Private  collectors  sometimes  follow  this  example,  even  where  their 
pursuit  is  by  no  means  general,  but  confined  to  perhaps  a  few  or 
even  one  voluminous  artist.  A  national  collection  being  intended, 
not  for  private  gratification,  but  for  general  public  utility,  it  is 
proper  that  it  should  be  well  calculated  for  every  purpose  to  which  it 
can  be  made  available.  One  essential  purpose  is  that  of  study  ;  and 
it  is,  therefore,  important  that  such  a  collection  should  possess  means 
of  teaching  the  art  of  discriminating  original  works  from  copies, 
and  of  enabling  those  who  consult  it  to  become  familiar  with  both, 
to  acquire  knowledge  of  the  distinctive  characteristics,  and  to  gain 
every  instruction  in  this  particular  that  experience  can  afford. 
Copies,  generally  speaking,  appear  to  have  been  made  with  intent 
so  to  rival  their  originals  as  to  be  mistaken  for  them  ;  they  are 
transcripts,  line  by  line,  so  perseveringly  accurate  as  to  require,  as 
we  have  already  had  occasion  to  notice,  a  minute  investigation  to 
detect  a  distinctive  variation  ;  they  are  wonderful  examples  of  me- 
chanical skill  and  imperturbable  patience,  but  nothing  more  ;  and 
it  is  not  easily  conceivable,  therefore,  what  utility,  advantage,  or 
gratification  can  be  derivable  to  a  private  collector  from  possessing 
such  copies  of  any  prints,  the  undoubted  originals  of  which  are  al- 
ready in  his  portfolio. 

The  case,  however,  is  very  different  when  so  eminent  an  en- 
graver as  Marc  Antonio  takes  a  fancy  to  copy  a  work  of  so  eminent 
an  engraver  as  Albert  Durer.  A  totally  different  process  is  now 
observable.  On  comparing  any  one  of  these  copies  with  its  origi- 
nal, it  will  be  seen  that,  although  an  admirable  imitation  is  pro- 
duced of  the  effect  of  the  print,  yet,  so  far  from  this  being  ob- 
tained by  an  accurate,  labored,  unfeeling  transcript,  line  by  line, 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR,  95 

there  will  not  be  found  throughout  the  copy  one  single  line  that  is 
the  just  transcript  of  any  line  in  the  original.  It  is  the  effect  that 
is  copied,  and  not  the  means  which  produce  it.  From  the  rich 
abundance  of  his  own  intellect  and  feeling,  such  a  copyist  can  com- 
mand, and  he  prefers  to  employ,  means  of  his  own.  In  such  in- 
stances as  these  it  is  most  interesting  to  see  in  what  manner  or  to 
what  degree  one  great  mind  has  treated  or  entered  into  the  con- 
ception of  another.  It  is  curious  to  observe  in  what  way  the  clas- 
sic genius  of  the  Italian  has  fitted  to  himself  the  Gothic  habiliments 
of  the  German. 

With  the  exception  of  the  two  great  artists  just  named,  there 
are  few,  if  any,  of  great  celebrity,  who  have  copied,  the  one  from 
the  other,  in  this  intellectual  and  original  manner.  An  indul- 
gence, therefore,  in  copies,  so  far  as  they  can  conduce  to  any  ra- 
tional gratification,  need  add  but  a  very  few  prints  to  the  portfolio. 

To  return  to  the  subject  of  states.  The  question  respecting 
these  will  occur  in  the  works  of  many  engravers,  but  in  none  so- 
much  as  in  the  very  popular  and  important  artist,  Rembrandt  ; 
and  we  will  illustrate  what  further  observations  remain  to  be  made 
on  this  part  of  our  subject  by  reference  to  the  etchings  by  this 
master. 

Not  content  with  taking  one  or  two  impressions  from  his  plate, 
as  his  work  approached  completion,  according  to  the  general  prac- 
tice of  engravers,  Rembrandt  would  begin  to  do  this  in  a  very 
early  stage — sometimes  before  the  subject  was  half  finished,  or, 
perhaps,  scarcely  sketched,  and  he  would  take,  not  one  or  two  im- 
pressions only,  but  several.  He  would  then  work  on,  and  after  a 
while  take  a  few  more  proofs  ;  and  he  would  often  take  fresh 
proofs  after  making,  and  because  he  had  made,  some  very  slight, 
trifling  alteration  or  addition,  of  no  importance  or  value  whatever. 

Rembrandt  had  the  rather  uncommon  good  fortune  of  acquiring 
great  repute  in  his  own  day  ;  and  his  patrons  and  admirers  were 
fond  of  seeing  his  progress,  and  became  desirous  of  possessing 


96  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

proofs  thus  taken  from  time  to  time  as  his  work  proceeded.  The 
tradition  is  that  the  artist  availed  himself,  rather  unworthily,  of  this 
patronage,  and  made  alterations  for  the  mere  sake  of  multiplying 
varieties,  and  for  which  he  had  immediate  customers,  although 
these  alterations  were  frequently,  as  may  well  be  imagined,  no  im- 
provement of  his  work,  but  rather  detrimental  to  it.  Possibly  his 
employment  in  such  matters  as  these,  and  which  he  found  so  profit- 
able, might  be  the  occasion  of  a  circumstance  that  we  have  greatly 
to  lament — namely,  that  he  has  left  many  a  promising  etching  in 
a  more  or  less  unfinished  state. 

So  numerous  are  the  samples  of  this  practice  in  this  master 
that  the  acquirement  of  an  exact  knowledge  of  all  these  advance- 
ments, variations,  and  further  finishings  of  Rembrandt's  plates  is 
an  important  portion  of  the  education  of  a  collector.  Of  some  of 
this  artist's  plates  there  are  seven,  eight,  or  even  more  "  states  ;" 
and  the  nature  and  amount  of  the  variations  may  best  be  judged  of 
by  transcribing  from  a  printed  catalogue  of  his  works  a  specimen 
of  some  one  print  thus  circumstanced.  We  will  take,  then,  the  por- 
trait of  Rembrandt  himself,  represented  as  sitting  at  a  table  in  the 
act  of  drawing.  The  catalogue  referred  to  describes  the  print,  and 
then  proceeds  thus  : 

"  Of  this  print  there  are  ten  impressions. 

'  The  first  is  extremely  rare,  and  is  a  mere  slight  etching,  with- 
out effect. 

'  The  second  is  more  worked  upon,  and  the  features  are  better 
defined. 

'  Third  impression.  It  is  much  more  worked  upon  in  the  face, 
which  is  now  very  spirited  and  full  of  life.  The  bust  is  covered 
with  burr,  but  the  rest  is  of  a  gray  tone,  and  the  plate  is  quite  un- 
even at  the  top,  towards  the  left  ;  the  hands  and  sleeves  are  white. 
This  is  the  finest  state  of  the  plate,  and  is  of  great  rarity. 

"  Fourth  impression.  In  this  the  plate  is  cut  even  ;  the  whole 
of  the  subject  is  worked  up  to  a  beautiful  velvet-like  tone,  but 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  97 

some  of  the  animation  of  the  countenance  is  gone  ;  the  hands  and 
the  sleeve  are  still  white. 

"  Fifth  impression.  This  is  yet  more  finished  ;  the  hands  and 
the  sleeve  are  still  white,  but  the  name  and  date  appear  in  the 
scroll. 

"  Sixth  impression.  This  is  more  shaded  in  the  scroll  and  the 
window-sill  ;  the  left  hand  is  shadowed  with  a  slight  single  stroke. 
The  print,  in  this  state,  is  harmonious  and  beautiful. 

"  Seventh  impression.  This  differs  considerably  from  the  pre- 
ceding ;  the  right  hand  is  shaded  with  a  slight  single  stroke,  but 
the  cuff  remains  white.  The  desk  he  is  drawing  on  is  more  shaded, 
and  so  is  his  dress,  on  the  front  of  which,  to  the  left,  strong  lines, 
full  of  burr,  are  drawn  horizontally  from  left  to  right  ;  the  name 
and  date  also  have  some  burr. 

"  Eighth  impression.  In  this  a  landscape  is  seen  through  the 
window  ;  the  cuff  is  covered  with  very  fine  linen,  and  the  left  hand 
crossed  with  lines  equally  minute  ;  the  window-sill  and  the  scroll 
are  much  more  shaded. 

"  Ninth  impression.  The  head  is  retouched,  but  very  skilfully  ; 
the  dress  has  strong  lines,  filled  with  burr,  on  the  right  of  the 
bust  ;  the  desk  is  almost  covered  with  shading,  as  also  the  back 
of  the  book,  under  the  desk,  so  as  to  appear  like  one  large  volume  ; 
the  scroll  is  so  much  in  shadow  as  to  render  the  name  and  date  in- 
distinct. 

'  Tenth  impression.  This  is  wholly  retouched,  and  the  char- 
acter of  the  head  altered." 

The  anxiety  to  detect  every  trifling  variation  has  been  carried 
to  such  an  extreme  that  while  some  persons  affect  to  be  continu- 
ally discovering  still  further  states  than  hitherto  noticed,  others, 
both  collectors  and  dealers,  confess  that  they  are  scarce  able  to  fol 
low  those  which  are  already  catalogued.  There  are,  indeed,  sev- 
eral of  the  slightly  varying  states  which  are  not  easily  recogniza- 
ble ;  and  it  is  believed  that  some  of  the  variations,  which  connois- 


9»  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

seurs  pretend  to  point  out,  are  but  imaginary,  or,  at  any  rate,  con- 
sist in  nothing  more  than  a  difference  of  appearance,  occasioned  by 
the  use  of  more  or  less  ink,  or  other  accidental  circumstance  in  the 
printing.  It  is  actually  asserted  that  states  are  described  which 
no  one  is  conscious  of  having  ever  seen,  and  which  perhaps  never 
existed  ;  the  account  of  such  is  modestly  prefaced  with  the  phrase, 
"  There  is  '  said  to  be  '  a  state  in  which,"  etc. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  imagine  how  an  ingenious  and  warm  fancy 
may  arrive  at  these  inventions.  For  example  :  in  the  print  by 
Rembrandt  called  "  The  Flight  into  Egypt,  in  the  style  of  El- 
sheimer,"  an  ass's  head,  and  the  outlines  of  his  two  forelegs,  which 
are  intended  to  be  obliterated,  are  nevertheless  still  clearly  dis- 
cernible among  the  bushes  and  on  the  ground,  about  an  inch  for- 
warder in  the  plate  than  where  the  substituted  and  finished  figure 
of  the  animal  now  appears.  Here,  then,  is  a  tempting  opportu- 
nity. It  is  but  fancying  that  that  which  it  is  probable  might  have 
existed  does  actually  exist  ;  and  we  may  imagine  the  amateur 
world  enlightened  by  some  enthusiastic  detector  of  variations,  with 
some  such  account  as  the  following  :  "  There  is  said  to  be  a  state 
of  this  print,  and  which  is  supposed  to  be  unique,  in  which  Joseph, 
the  Madonna,  and  the  ass,  are  nearer  to  the  centre  of  the  plate  by 
a  full  inch  than  in  the  subsequent  impressions." 

Our  readers  will  not  misunderstand  us  as  saying  that  any  one 
has  yet  ventured  to  assert  that  there  is  such  a  state  of  this  print  as 
here  supposed  ;  we  merely  mean  to  observe  that,  though  no  such 
print  exist,  or  at  least  has  ever  been  heard  of,  yet  we  should  not 
be  surprised  to  see  such  a  one  ceremoniously  described  in  some 
ingenious  enthusiast's  new  edition  of  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  the 
Prints  of  Rembrandt. 

In  all  cases  where  more  than  one  state  of  a  print  is  known,  sale 
catalogues,  if  properly  constructed,  take  care  to  notice  the  "  state  " 
of  each  print  offered  for  sale,  and,  in  important  instances,  describe 
the  characteristic  distinctions.  As  the  descriptions  given  are  often 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  99 

taken  from  foreign  catalogues  or  works,  and  as  the  compilers  of  our 
catalogues  are  not  always  good  linguists,  the  public  are  occasion- 
ally amused  with  laughable  errors,  arising  from  this  imperfect 
knowledge  of  the  original  language. 

Thus,  for  instance,  there  is  a  portrait  by  Rembrandt  called 
"  The  Young  Haaring,"  in  which  is  introduced  in  the  second  state 
a  curtain-rod  across  a  window,  which  is  behind  the  figure.  The 
French  catalogue  of  Mr.  Robert  Dumesnil's  collection,  describing 
this  state  of  this  print,  properly  designates  it  as  "  La  planche  en- 
ti&re,  avec  le  tringle  a  la  fenetre. "  The  English  catalogue  of  the 
sale  of  this  collection,  in  April,  1836,  enters  the  lot  thus  :  "  Lot 
256,  Young  Haaring,  second  state,  the  plate  being  entire,  with  the 
triangle  at  the  window  !" 

In  the  large  print,  by  Rembrandt,  of  "  Ecce  Homo,"  always, 
but  improperly,  called  "  Christ  before  Pilate,"  one  of  the  marked 
distinctions  of  the  early  state  is  the  position  of  the  lower  part  of 
the  drapery  of  one  of  the  figures,  with  respect  to  the  belt  which  is 
buckled  round  his  waist,  sustaining  his  sword.  This  print  in  this 
early  state  formed  Lot  82  in  the  sale  just  referred  to.  The  French 
description  of  this  characteristic  of  early  state  runs  thus  :  "  Le  bas 
de  la  veste  de  cette  figure  depasse  le  ceinturon  de  son  epee, "  which 
our  English  translator,  in  Mr.  Phillips'  catalogue,  renders  thus  : 
"The  bottom  part  of  the  dress  of  this  figure  goes  beyond  the 
sword  of  the  centurion  /" 

In  Rees*  Cyclopaedia  the  writer  of  the  excellently  composed  ar- 
ticle, "German  School  of  Engraving,"  in  noticing  the  principal 
prints  by  Albert  Durer,  has  evidently  taken  his  catalogue  from 
some  French  authority,  where  he  found  "  The  Prodigal  Son"  de- 
scribed, as  might  be  expected,  "  L' Enfant  Prodigue. "  Not  being 
himself  conversant  with  the  works  of  Albert  Durer,  nor,  much 
more  so,  with  the  French  language,  the  cyclopscdist  translates  his 
original  "  The  Infant  Prodigy." 

The  first  state  of  the  portrait  of  "Asselyn,"  the  painter,  by 


ioo  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Rembrandt,  is  characterized  by  the  introduction  of  a  painter's 
easel,  which  is  seen  behind  the  figure,  but  which  Rembrandt 
afterwards  expunged,  so  that  in  the  after  state  it  does  not  appear. 
The  Dutch  catalogue  of  Amade  de  Burgy's  collection,  in  June, 
1755,  very  correctly  describes  this  first  state,  "  met  den  Ezel  agter 
zig  ;"  that  is,  "  with  the  easel  behind  him."  Unluckily,  the  Dutch 
word  "  ezel  "  has  two  meanings — namely,  a  painter's  easel  and  an 
ass  ;  and  in  a  French  translation,  which  the  same  catalogue  gives, 
on  the  opposite  page,  the  translator,  knowing  nothing  of  the  print, 
happened  to  select  from  his  dictionary  the  wrong  meaning,  and 
renders  the  passage,  "  avec  1'ane  derri&re  lui  !" 

While  noticing  ridiculous  errors,  we  cannot  resist  mentioning 
one  more  laughable  mistake,  though  it  be  not  so  closely  connected 
with  our  subject  as  those  already  related.  When  the  inimitable 
artist  of  our  own  time,  George  Cruikshank,  had  first  attained  his 
celebrity,  a  publisher  of  the  day,  who  had  employed  his  brother 
Robert,  an  etcher  of  very  inferior  talent,  took  care  to  omit,  in  his 
advertisement,  the  Christian  name  in  order  that  the  publication 
might  pass  for  the  work  of  "  the"  Cruikshank,  a  remonstrance 
was  made,  and  the  Literary  Gazette  took  occasion  to  warn  the  pub- 
lic against  being  misled  by  this  disingenuous  artifice  ;  and  when 
that  journal  next  reviewed  a  work  of  George  Cruikshank  —namely, 
the  "  Points  of  Humor,"  published  in  1824 — the  reviewer  (Literary 
Gazette,  No.  372)  set  out  thus  :  "Assuredly  George  Cruikshank  is 
the  real  Simon  Pure;  he  is  eminently  gifted,"  etc.  A  few  years 
after  this  Nagler  began  his  Dictionary  of  Engravers,  "  Neuves 
Allemagnes  Kunstler  Lexicon,"  and,  meeting  with  this  article  in 
the  Literary  Gazette,  and  totally  ignorant  of  the  allusion,  familiar 
to  English  readers  only,  he  construed  the  sobriquet  as  conveying 
an  invaluable  piece  of  secret  history,  and  when,  in  liis  alphabetical 
order,  he  came  to  our  artist,  he  records  him  thus  :  "  Cruikshank, 
George,  a  celebrated  caricature  designer  and  engraver,  in  London, 
whose  real  name  is  Simon  Pure  !" 


THE  PRINT   COLLECTOR.  IOI 

This  ridiculous  mistake  calls  to  mind  the  dedication,  byScopoli, 
of  a  plate  in  his  '  Deliciae  Florae,"  to  Benjamin  White,  the  book- 
seller, at  Horace's  Head,  in  Fleet  Street,  "  Auspiciis  Benjamini 
.White  et  Horatii  Head,  bibliopolorum,  Londinensium." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  to  watch  the  progress  of  a  work  of 
genius,  to  note  the  improvements  that  suggest  themselves  to  the 
artist  as  the  work  goes  on,  and  to  follow  its  march  towards  perfec- 
tion, is  an  occupation  of  the  highest  possible  interest  and  choicest 
intellectual  enjoyment  ;  and  this  is  exemplified  in  other  works  of 
the  mind.  In  literature,  for  example,  what  can  be  more  pleasing 
and  instructive  than  to  witness  the  first  ideas  thrown  off  from  such 
minds  as  those  of  Pope  or  Milton,  and  to  see  these  expand  and 
ripen  ;  to  pore  over  the  first  rough  drafts  of  "  The  Rape  of  the 
Lock,"  or  the  "  Lycidas, "  and  to  trace,  in  the  scratchings  and  re- 
scratchings  of  the  thickly-scribbled  sheet,  the  lucky  thought,  the 
happy  amendment,  and  the  labored  polish  ? 

Most  inestimable,  indeed,  is  the  opportunity,  when  it  arises,  of 
enjoying  such  a  gratification  as  this,  and  more  especially  in  authors 
of  such  eminence  as  just  named,  or  in  artists  of  such  eminence  and 
original  genius  as  Rembrandt.  But  the  pleasure  arises  from  the 
contemplation  of  the  gradual  and  sure  advance,  at  every  step,  to- 
wards a  higher  and  higher  perfection  ;  and  if  the  source  fail  from 
whence  this  pleasure  springs,  if  we  observe  alterations  for  the 
worse,  additions  without  meaning,  overworkings  made  at  the  sug- 
gestion, not  of  the  genius  of  the  artist,  but  of  his  cupidity,  it  is  no 
longer  a  pleasing  or  ah  edifying  occupation  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  is 
a  melancholy  and  pitiable  employ,  to  be  forced  to  witness  a  retro- 
grade progress,  and  to  feel  that  a  great  mind  is  humbling  itself  and 
willingly  sacrificing  the  sacred  energies  of  genius  to  a  mercenary 
passion. 

Here,  then,  appears  to  be  opportunity  of  drawing  a  line.  May 
not  an  amateur  be  content  with  possessing  that  one  state,  which- 
ever it  may  be,  which  is,  as  a  work  of  art,  the  most  intrinsically 


102  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

valuable  ?  of  may  he  not,  at  any  rate,  limit  himself  to  the  acquire- 
ment of  such  states  only  as  show  the  true  advance  of  the  work  to 
its  perfection  ?  If  a  man  of  just  taste  and  plain  sense  be  not  at 
liberty  to  do  this,  he  will  certainly  be  obliged  to  act,  in  some  cases, 
contrary  to  common-sense  and  just  taste. 

For  instance,  there  is  a  fine  print  by  the  artist  last  named,  Rem- 
brandt, of  a  man  who  was  Receiver-General  of  the  States  of  Hol- 
land. He  is  represented  sitting  at  a  table,  amid  bags  and  chests 
of  money,  and  with  a  pair  of  scales  before  him,  and  the  print  is 
technically  called  "  The  Gold- Weigher."  It  would  seem  that  Rem- 
brandt had  nearly  completed  the  work  before  an  opportunity  oc- 
curred of  the  original  sitting  for  his  portrait,  and,  meantime,  he 
struck  off  a  few  impressions.  In  these  an  oval  blank  is  left  for  the 
face,  which  was  afterwards  introduced  ;  and  these  impressions  are 
technically  called  "  the  white  face." 

To  a  rational  person,  seeking  excellence  and  real  value  only, 
such  a  print,  if  he  were  already  possessed  of  an  impression  from  the 
finished  plate,  would  be  considered  of  little  or  no  value.  It  is  not 
of  value  as  a  perfect  work,  and  although  it  certainly  is  a  sample  of 
the  work  during  its  progress,  yet  it  does  not  show  a  progress  having 
any  interest  attached  to  it.  It  is  not  of  value  as  showing  the  first 
thought  of  the  artist  afterwards  improved  upon  ;  he  does  no 
more  in  the  finished  plate  than  follow  up  and  complete  the  design 
all  along  contemplated,  and  expressly  indicated,  in  this  impression 
of  "  the  white  face  ;"  and  having  done  that,  he  rendered  valueless, 
according  to  ordinary  estimation,  the  incomplete  performance.  But 
with  collectors  this  is  "  a  state,"  a  "  first  state,"  and  as  such,  how- 
ever intrinsically  valueless  it  may  be,  on  the  one  hand,  and  however 
costly,  for  its  rarity,  on  the  other  hand,  still  the  collection,  whose 
aim  is  to  embrace  all  the  prints  by  this  artist,  and  all  the  states  of 
all  his  prints,  is  incomplete  without  it. 

When  a  collector,  eminent  for  a  nearly  complete  collection  of 
Rembrandt's  works,  opens  his  folio,  he  discloses,  on  sheet  after 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  I°3 

sheet,  four,  five,  six,  or  more,  and  it  may  be  ten,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  prints,  all,  to  a  common  eye,  and  at  first  sight,  the  same  thing 
so  many  times  repeated.  The  eye  of  the  cognoscenti  fixes  at  once 
upon  the  one  rare  state,  whichever  it  may  be,  and  regards  no 
other  ;  the  eye  of  the  unitiated  wanders  about,  uncertain  where  to 
fix,  and  feels  as  if  looking  through  a  multiplying  glass.  What- 
ever beauty  there  may  be  in  some  one  or  each  individual  print,  is 
impaired  for  want  of  being  set  off  as  it  deserves  ;  it  is  lost  in  the 
bewilderment  of  the  mass  ;  at  any  rate  it  requires  to  be  sought  for 
and  selected.  Of  such  collections,  common-sense  suggests  that  the 
pleasure  of  the  collector  must  consist  in  the  consciousness  of  pos- 
session, and  the  reputation  attached  to  it,  rather  than  in  any  very 
sensitive  enjoyment  of  the  intrinsic  beauties  of  a  fine  work  of  art. 

These  are  bold  and  venturesome  observations,  and  the  collector 
who  admits  them  as  just  must,  it  is  feared,  be  content  to  be 
branded  among  the  very  aristocratic  and  conservative  body  to 
which  he  aspires  to  belong,  as  a  sad  radical  and  advocate  of  revo- 
lution. Nevertheless,  if  he  appeal  to  "  the  people" — that  is  to  say, 
general  good  taste,  apart  from  connoisseurship — he  will,  perhaps,  be 
pardoned  if,  instead  of  displaying  before  his  visitor  such  a  hydra- 
sheet  as  just  described,  he  present  to  him  one  only  print,  the  most 
beautiful  that  the  plate  has  produced.  But  let  us  hasten  to  atone 
for  these  heresies.  The  next  chapter  shall  be  wholly  and  soundly 
conservative. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

OF  THE  CARE  AND   KEEPING  OF  PRINTS. 

THE  universal  mode  of  keeping  prints,  such  only  excepted  as 
are  of  very  large  size,  is  to  mount  them,  as  it  is  called,  on  card  or 
stiff  paper,  either  white  or  colored.  The  most  approved  and  most 
usual  way  of  doing  this  is  to  attach  the  back  of  the  left-hand  edge 
of  the  print  along  its  whole  length  to  the  mounting  paper  by  the 
smallest  possible  quantity  of  paste,  not  thin  and  liquid,  but  of  con- 
siderable consistency,  such  as  is  used  by  shoemakers,  and  is  sold 
by  the  leather  dealers  or  grinders.  Our  Continental  neighbors 
sometimes  prefer  attaching  the  upper  edge  of  the  print,  rather  than 
either  of  the  side  edges,  under  the  idea  that,  when  mounted  in  a 
book,  there  is  less  risk  of  folding  a  print  in  turning  over  the  leaves. 

Either  of  these  modes  affords  opportunity  of  examining  the 
back  of  the  print  as  well  as  the  face  of  it,  a  precaution  invariably 
taken  by  a  careful  purchaser  for  the  purpose  of  better  examining 
the  quality  of  the  paper,  its  probable  age,  perhaps  the  watermark  ; 
also  of  better  discovering  any  mendings  or  cleanings,  or  any  soils 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  105 

or  weak  parts  ;  and  ;  again,  for  ascertaining  whether  any  and  what 
manuscript  or  other  notices  or  marks  may  be  on  it  of  former  pro- 
prietorship, or  other  circumstances  respecting  it. 

A  print,  carefully  mounted  in  this  manner,  is  at  all  times  readily 
detached  again,  if  required,  without  detriment  or  risk.  To  better 
insure  this,  when  the  paper  is  delicate  from  being  thin  or  from  the 
much  handling  during  several  generations,  or  where  it  is  inclined 
to  fray  at  the  edge  from  frequent  remountings,  it  is  not  unusual, 
nor  a  bad  practice,  to  paste  along  the  back  of  the  left-hand  edge, 
previous  to  mounting  it,  a  very  narrow  slip  of  paper,  about  a  tenth 
:or  eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  to.  strengthen  and  support  it  ;  and  this 
is  not  considered  to  impair  the  print  as  an  entire  laying  down  would 
seriously  do.  Sometimes  such  a  strip  is  found  pasted  along  the 
back  of  all  the  four  edges.  All  the  important  prints  of  the  collec- 
tion of  M.  Paignon  d'ljonval  were  thus  protected.  l 

1  The  possessor  of  a  fine  print  ought  to  consider  himself  as  its  custodian.  He 
should  take  good  care  of  it  for  its  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  those  who  will  come 
after  him.  Every  careless  touch,  however  slight,  contributes  to  its  defacement.  If 
possible,  the  fingers  should  never  be  allowed  to  come  in  contact  with  it.  Some  per- 
sons think  that  after  prints  are  mounted  it  is  a  good  plan  to  place  sheets  of  soft  tissue 
paper  between  them  in  the  portfolio.  For  a  time  it  may  answer  a  good  purpose,  but 
this  kind  of  paper  is  often  very  carelessly  made,  and  is  filled  with  impurities  which  are 
imparted  to  the  paper  it  comes  in  contact  with.  Every  one  has  noticed  this  in  books 
where  it  is  bound  in  to  prevent  the  set-off  from  a  printed  page  or  engraving,  how  it 
usually  becomes  yellow  or  spotted,  and  communicates  this  to  the  leaves  of  the  book. 

A  method  of  mounting  prints  which  Mr.  Maberly  does  not  suggest,  and  which  is  by 
far  the  best,  although  a  little  more  expensive,  consists  in  taking  two  pieces  of  bristol- 
board,  or  extremely  thick  drawing-paper,  attaching  the  print  in  its  proper  position 
upon  one  of  them  by  a  hinge  of  thin  paper,  then  cutting  an  opening  on  the  second 
piece  a  trifle  larger  than  the  print,  and  attaching  this  piece  upon  the  surface  of  the  first. 
This  leaves  a  broad  margin  higher  than  the  face  of  the  print,  so  that  when  placed  in 
the  portfolio,  or  in  a  pile  one  upon  another,  it  is  impossible  that  the  surface  of  the 
engraving  shall  receive  any  abrasion.  This  system  has  been  adopted  by  the  British 
Museum,  and  the  finest  specimens  mounted  in  this  way  are  freely  handled  without 
injury.  It  gives  also  a  stiffness  to  the  mount  so  that  it  does  not  bend,  no  matter  in 
what  position  it  may  be  held. 


106  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Neither  is  a  print  damaged  in  estimation  by  having,  as  is  often 
seen,  a  very  small  square  of  paper  pasted  at  the  back  of  each  of  its 
four  corners,  the  object  being  to  preserve  these  parts,  under  the 
idea  that  they  are  apt  to  curl  and  tear  ;  but  the  heavy  thickness  of 
such  corners  is  unpleasant,  and  it  is  better  never  to  protect  a  print 
by  any  of  these  modes  unless  it  be  essentially  necessary. 

Mounting-papers  are  generally  separate  single  sheets,  but  some- 
times they  are  bound  together  in  large  folio  books  with  guards  be- 
tween. This  is  not  an  advisable  mode,  except  where  entire  collec- 
tions are  formed  of  any  given  artist  ;  and  in  such  case  it  is  cer- 
tainly the  best  and  the  usual  plan.  As  all  existing  ancient  prints 
are  known,  and  all,  of  almost  all  masters,  together  with  the  copies 
that  exist,  are  catalogued  in  printed  books  and  their  exact  dimen- 
sions set  down,  the  possessor  of  a  bound  folio  may,  throughout  his 
arrangement,  keep  places  reserved  for  such  prints,  or  states  of  prints, 
or  copies,  as  he  has  not  yet  got,  but  hopes  and  purposes  to  obtain. 
But  unless  a  complete  collection  be  intended,  a  bound  folio  must 
either  be  disfigured  by  a  multitude  of  blank  spaces  never  intended 
to  be  filled,  or  the  prints,  if  any  proper  classification  of  them  be 
adopted,  must,  unless  kept  loose  in  the  folio,  be  subjected  to  con- 
tinual displacement  and  refixing  to  make  way  for  the  introduction 
of  new  acquisitions  ;  and  the  frequent  unmounting  and  remount- 
ing which  this  calls  for  is  very  objectionable. 

When  mounted  singly,  prints  are  usually  kept  in  portfolios,  or 
in  what  are  called  solanders,  a  good  sort  of  repository,  but  now  not 
much  in  use,  because  of  being  rather  cumbersome  and  heavy  as 
compared  with  a  pasteboard  folio,  and  because  of  the  improve- 

Prints  protected  in  this  manner  may  be  kept  in  cabinets  or  drawers,  without  port- 
folios, are  easily  taken  out  or  put  away,  and  are  quickly  secured  under  lock  and  key. 
Common  cardboard  is  cheaper  than  bristol-board  or  drawing-paper,  but  it  is  not  fit  to 
mount  valuable  prints  upon,  being  made  mostly  from  common  cotton  rags,  if  from 
nothing  worse,  and  the!'  thicknesses  united  by  paste,  so  that  it  warps,  shrinks,  and 
becomes  discolored.  The  best  hand-wove  linen  paper  is  none  too  good,  and  if  well 
seasoned  will  last  always. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  107 

ments  in  modern  times  of  the  manufactory  of  the  latter  article.  A 
solander  is  a  wooden  box,  backed  with  leather,  the  sides  covered 
with  marble  or  other  paper,  having  leather  corners,  so  that  it  has 
much  the  appearance  of  a  book  ;  one  of  the  sides  is  made  to  open 
as  a  lid,  carrying  with  it  the  back,  which  is  attached  to  it  ;  the 
same  thing,  in  short,  which  is  still  in  use,  of  a  less  size,  for  holding 
music  or  pamphlets.  The  advantage  of  the  solander  is,  that  the 
prints  need  never  be  pressed  strongly,  one  against  another,  as  in 
the  tying  tight  of  a  portfolio  ;  the  mounting-papers  have  liberty  to 
lie  level,  and  their  edges  and  corners  are  better  protected.  If,  in- 
deed, all  the  mounting-papers  be  of  one  size,  and  the  portfolio  of 
dimensions  exactly  suitable,  and  its  boards  thick  and  stiff,  all 
these  advantages  are  pretty  well  gained. 

Of  artists  who  lived  before  the  eighteenth  century,  the  numeri- 
cal proportion  of  extra-sized  prints  to  those  of  moderate  or  small 
dimensions  is  inconsiderable.  There  is  no  important  artist  whose 
works  consist  wholly  of  such,  and  unless  a  complete  collection  be 
intended,  the  moderate-sized  prints  of  any  artist  are  generally  quite 
as  good  specimens  of  his  style  and  manner  as  the  largest.  The  most 
convenient  size  for  mounting-papers  may  be  from  twenty-two  to 
twenty-three  inches  by  eighteen  to  nineteen  inches,  and  this  size  will 
suffice,  and  not  more  than  conveniently  suffice,  for  the  largest  of 
Rembrandt's  etchings,  the  "  Ecce  Homo  ;"  and  in  a  select  collec- 
tion of  works  of  ancient  artists  there  need  not  be  many  prints  of  a 
larger  size  than  this,  and  perhaps  there  are  none  at  all  but  what  in 
such  a  collection  might  be  altogether  dispensed  with. 

If  portfolios  be  preferred  to  solanders,  care  should  be  taken 
that  the  boards  be  of  sufficient  substance  to  keep  themselves  ever 
straight  and  level,  not  curving  in  and  meeting  together,  when  tied, 
so  as  to  press  unequally  on  the  prints  and  mounting-papers,  pinching 
their  edges  and  corners.  This  precaution  is  recommended,  notwith- 
standing the  disadvantage  it  entails  of  additional  weight.  The 
portfolio  should  also  be  furnished  with  wings  or  flaps  of  light  paste- 


I°8  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

board  or  leather,  or  else  with  Holland  wrappers  to  fold  over  the 
edges  and  keep  out  the  dust  ;  it  is  as  well,  however,  not  to  have 
these  to  tie,  much  Jess  to  buckle,  as  is  sometimes  seen  ;  all  should 
be  plain  and  level,  and  without  any  knot,  strap,  or  other  projection 
that  may  indent  the  prints  on  any  accidental  pressure. 

When  the  mounting-papers  are  bound  together  in  a  book,  it 
may  be  of  no  great  importance  whether  the  folio  be  laid  horizon- 
tally or  set  up  on  end,  in  the  way  of  a  book  ;  and  this  is  one  of 
the  chief  advantages  of  a  bound  folio.  But,  if  loose  in  a  portfolio 
or  solander,  these  should  certainly  be  laid  on  shelves  in  the  cabinet 
in  a  horizontal  position  ;  and,  indeed,  this  mode  is,  in  all  cases, 
preferable.  It  is  always  a  better  preservative  against  dust  ;  and 
if,  which  ought  to  be,  as  well  for  convenience  as  other  reasons, 
each  portfolio  have  a  separate  shelf,  it  will  not  be  exposed  to  un- 
equal and  undue  lateral  pressure,  as  a  book  in  a  book  case  is  liable 
to  be. 

One  other  and  far  better  mode  of  preserving  prints  there  is, 
were  it  not  that  space  cannot  be  extended  at  command,  and  that 
brooms  and  balls,  careless  housemaids,  and  playful  children,  can- 
not be  dispensed  with.  Otherwise  a  print  has  certainly  the  best 
chance  of  preservation  when  it  is  secured  from  the  perpetual  hand- 
ling and  turning  over  to  which  it  is  else  subjected,  by  being  ju- 
diciously placed  within  a  frame  and  under  a  glass.  ' 

1  It  would  seem  needless  to  remind  the  collector  that  prints,  if  framed,  should  never 
be  allowed  to  come  in  contact  with  the  glass.  If  they  do  so  they  will  in  a  short  time 
become  injured,  if  not  ruined. 

A  mount  prepared  as  suggested  in  the  note  on  page  105,  is  the  best  to  place  the  print 
upon  when  it  is  to  be  framed,  but  in  this  case  it  should  be  attached  and  hung  from  the 
upper  edge,  just  as  one  would  hang  a  curtain.  This  gives  it  an  opportunity  to  accom- 
modate itself  to  the  swelling  or  shrinking  of  the  mount,  and  it  will  straighten  out  and 
keep  flat. 

The  frame  should  be  hung  perpendicularly  against  the  wall.  If  for  any  reason  it  is 
necessary  to  lean  the  top  a  little  forward,  a  very  slight  touch  of  paste  may  be  put  on 
the  lower  corners  of  the  print  to  prevent  its  bagging  or  coming  in  contact  with  the 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  109 

At  the  Bibliotheque  Royale,  at  Paris,  some  of  the  finest  prints 
are  framed  and  glazed  and  hung  in  different  parts  of  the  rooms, 
and  a  catalogue  is  published  of  these  "  Estampes  exposees, "  which 
extend  to  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  specimens. 

We  should  be  well  pleased  to  see  the  example  followed  in  our 
own  national  collection,  where  there  is  now  much  better  opportu- 
nity than  heretofore,  or  than  there  is  at  Paris.  The  gallery  leading 
to  the  print-room  of  the  British  Museum  is  admirably  adapted  for 
the  purpose,  and  is  at  present  occupied  by  Egyptian  papyri,  arti- 
cles not  within  the  proper  range  of  a  repository  of  engravings. 
Should  the  suggestion  ever  occur  to  turn  it  to  this  more  appropri- 
ate use,  we  trust  that  our  authorities  will  improve  upon  their 
French  model  in  several  particulars. 

We  hope  that  no  prints  will  be  thus  "  suspendus"  but  such  as 
are  of  the  finest  quality,  both  in  impression  and  condition  ;  that 
none  will  be  submitted  to  public  view  but  such  as  are  unquestion- 
ably genuine  and  pure.  A  frame  and  glass  are  a  protection  to  a 
print,  but  they  may  protect  imposition  also. 

In  the  French  national  collection  is  a  unique  state,  as  it  is  pro- 
fessed to  be,  of  the  print,  by  Rembrandt,  of  Christ  preaching,  tech- 
nically called  the  "  Little  La  Tombe  ;"  and  the  chief  characteristic 
of  this  early  state  is  that  a  child's  peg-top,  which  in  the  after  state 
of  the  plate  is  lying  on  the  foreground,  is,  in  the  present  impression, 
not  introduced.  English  connoisseurs  who  remember  this  print  be- 

glass.  Precautions  should  be  taken  to  exclude  all  dust,  by  pasting  a  narrow  strip  of 
paper  around  the  edge  of  the  glass  inside  and  against  the  frame,  and  after  the  mount 
is  in  place  a  piece  of  stiff  paper  should  be  pasted  over  the  whole  back.  If  this  is  put 
on  wet,  it  will  dry  tightly  over  it  like  a  drum-head.  Mr.  Maberly's  hope  that  prints 
belonging  to  national  collections  in  the  British  Museum  and  elsewhere  might  one  day 
be  framed  and  exhibited  to  the  people  has  been  realized.  Cases  with  inclined  glass 
tops  have  been  placed  in  the  library  rooms  and  halls,  and  a  constant  and  ever- 
changing  exhibition  of  the  finest  works  is  now  given  to  the  public. 

If  any  revival  of  the  art  of  engraving  can  be  hoped  for  it  cannot  but  be  fostered  and 
hastened  by  the  facilities  given  in  this  way  for  spreading  a  knowledge  of  the  subject. 


1 10  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

fore  it  was  framed  and  glazed,  and  who,  while  it  was  in  the  portfolio, 
examined  it  with  attention  and  against  the  light,  declared  that  the 
peg-top  has  been  ingeniously  taken  out.  There  may  or  may  not 
be  truth  in  this  assertion  ;  but  surely  it  is  better  whenever  any 
such  accusation  as  this  be  made,  or  even  whenever  a  suspicion  be 
suggested,  to  immediately  withdraw  the  print  from  all  unfair  pro- 
tection, and  allow  and  invite  naked  scrutiny. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  express  a  hope  that, -if  prints  belong- 
ing to  our  national  collection  should  ever  be  hung  up  to  view,  they 
will  all  be  placed  in  situations  where  they  may  be  seen  to  perfec- 
tion. Our  building  has  greatly  the  advantage  of  the  French  with 
respect  to  effecting  this. 

It  would  be  preferable,  perhaps,  that  no  prints  should  be  kept 
permanently  framed  and  glazed,  but  all  occasionally  changed  ;  and 
that  the  prints  selected  from  time  to  time  for  periodical  exposure  to 
exhibition,  for  a  season,  should  be  all  of  the  early  or  middle  aeras  of 
the  art,  and  such  as  are  of  the  greatest  rarity.  We  should  recom- 
mend this  for  the  sake,  firstly,  of  greater  economy  of  space.  Any 
one  of  the  more  important  prints  of  the  present,  we  cannot  there- 
fore call  them  degenerate,  days,  and  many  of  the  century  passed, 
the  Raffaelle  Morghens,  Volpatos,  and  others,  contain,  each  one, 
more  square  inches  than  six  average-sized  prints  of  Albert  Du'rer 
put  together,  or  than  the  whole  of  the  works  of  any  one  of  the  lit- 
tle masters,  or  than  all  the  impressions  of  nielli  that  have  ever 
been  discovered.  Whatever  question  there  may  be,  whether  the 
moderns  excel  the  ancients  in  art,  there  is  no  question  but  that, 
regarded  as  a  whole,  they  go  beyond  them  in  size  out  of  all  degree 
of  rivalry. 

But,  secondly,  this  limitation  seems  desirable  because  the  ob- 
ject should  be  to  show  what  cannot  be  seen  elsewhere,  or,  at  least, 
only  in  few  and  distant  places.  Considerably  more  than  one  third 
part  of  the  prints  exposed  in  frames,  in  the  Bibliothcque  Royale, 
are  of  the  eighteenth  and  nineteenth  centuries  ;  prints,  for  the  most 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  1 1 1 

part,  of  large  dimensions,  and  not  containing  one  single  specimen 
but  what  has  been  already  made  familiar  to  the  public  eye  by  fre- 
quent occasional  display  in  shop-windows  ;  nor  one  which  may  not 
at  almost  any  time  be  found  in  the  portfolios  of  some  one  or  other 
of  the  principal  printsellers,  whether  of  London  or  Paris. 

Prints  should  never  be  unnecessarily  touched  by  the  hand.  It 
has  been  quaintly  remarked  that  an  Englishman's  eyes  are  at  his 
fingers'  ends  ;  and  a  collector  is  sometimes  doomed  to  stand  in 
agony  while  a  would-be  critic,  with  all  the  assurance  and  impor- 
tance natural  to  the  most  absolute  ignorance,  is  rubbing  his  damp 
forefinger,  now  here,  now  there,  over  the  print,  or  fixing  it  on  one 
spot  with  most  energetic  pressure  while  he  expatiates  on  the  beau- 
ties or  demerits,  as  he  fancies,  of  the  work  he  is  injuring. 

The  manner  in  which  a  stranger  takes  up  a  print  to  look  at  it 
will  at  once  give  intimation  to  the  collector  whether  he  has  suffi- 
cient knowledge,  or  practice,  or  appreciation  of  art  to  be  trusted  to 
go  through  a  portfolio.  A  grossly  ignorant  person,  with  conceit 
proportionate,  will  often  think  to  show  his  familiarity  with  works 
of  art  by  an  affectation  of  careless  handling,  while  a  person  of 
knowledge  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  without  intending  effect, 
show  himself  to  be  such  by  a  habit  the  very  opposite.  They  who, 
though  not  aspiring  to  be  collectors,  may  yet  partake  of  the  very 
general  desire  to  pass  for  amateurs,  may  be  assured  that  they  make 
a  great  step  towards  acquiring  a  reputation  for  this,  in  the  eyes 
of  cognoscenti,  and  a  highly  favorable  first  impression  on  an  ex- 
hibitor, if  they  be  careful  ever  to  hold  a  print  with  both  hands,  one 
hand  at  each  of  two  opposite  diagonal  C9rners,  instead  of  \vith  one 
hand  only,  by  the  pressure  of  thumb  and  finger,  which  always  risks 
the  crumpling  and  soiling  the  print,  or,  at  any  rate,  the  mounting- 
paper. 

The  safest  way  of  exhibiting  is  to  have  a  small  easel,  composed 
of  a  light,  fragile  material,  such  as  pasteboard,  set  upon  the  table, 
and  to  lay  each  print  in  succession  upon  this  for  the  general  inspec- 


112  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

tion.  The  very  process  suggests  an  interdiction  against  touching, 
and  a  heavy  finger  could  not  rest  on  the  print,  for  the  frail  fabric 
would  retreat  before  its  pressure. 

In  exhibiting  prints,  attention  should  be  paid  to  the  strength 
and  direction  of  the  light. 

A  light  from  above  is  the  best  ;  a  side  light,  though  generally 
resorted  to,  from  necessity  rather  than  choice,  is,  in  some  respects, 
bad,  especially  when  strong.  Every  little  unevenness  and  crease  in 
the  paper  becomes  conspicuous,  casting  a  shadow  on  one  side,  and 
on  the  other  catching  the  light,  and  showing  a  white  spot  or  line. 
By  another  position  of  the  light,  these  imperfections  might  be  ren- 
dered imperceptible.  For  judging  of  impression,  and  for  examin- 
ing condition,  where  minute  inspection  is  important,  daylight  is  in- 
dispensable. For  the  exhibition  or  enjoyment  of  a  collection,  a 
bright  daylight  is  often  too  strong,  except  for  very  dark  prints, 
such  as  Rembrandt's  "  Burgomaster  Six."  When  artificial  light  is 
used,  the  best  effect  is  produced  by  throwing  it  full  on  the  print 
from  behind  the  spectator. 

We  have  seen  used,  with  good  effect,  an  argand  lamp,  made  to 
slide  up  and  down  a  tall  pole,  so  as  to  vary  the  height  at  pleasure, 
and  having  behind  it  a  flat  shade  of  tin,  painted  white  within  side, 
so  as  to  reflect  the  light.  The  thing  is  represented  in  the  vignette 
at  the  head  of  our  second  chapter. 

Under  the  head  of  "care  of  prints, "  it  maybe  expected  that 
something  should  be  said  of  cleaning  them.  Prints  which  have 
existed  for  years,  and  perhaps  centuries,  transmitted  from  hand  to 
hand,  passing  through  auctions,  exposed  in  shop-windows,  turned 
over  again  and  again  in  dealers'  folios,  necessarily  acquire  an  accu- 
mulation of  the  dirt  of  ages,  and  yet  may  not  have  had  the  ill-luck 
to  be  actually  stained  or  soiled  otherwise  than  by  this  gradual 
effect  of  exhibition  and  use.  In  such  cases  the  chief  part  of  the 
soiling  thus  acquired  may  be  removed  by  pure  water  merely.  To 
effect  this,  the  print  is  laid,  face  downward,  in  a  vessel  large  enough 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  113 

to  admit  of  the  whole  paper  lying  quite  flat  ;  water,  boiling  hot,  is 
then  poured  over  it,  sufficient  to  cover  it  to  the  depth  of  an  inch 
or  more.  The  print  is  allowed  to  soak  in  the  water  more  or  less 
time,  according  to  circumstances.  By  degrees  the  dirtiness  dis- 
engages itself  from  the  surface  into  the  water  ;  the  print  is  then 
taken  out,  and  passed  through  fresh,  clear  water,  and  held  or  hung 
up,  for  the  superfluous  moisture  to  run  from  it  ;  and  when  this 
has  sufficiently  taken  place,  it  is  laid  between  sheets  of  white 
French  blotting-paper,  and  covered  by  a  thick  millboard,  weights 
being  laid  on  it,  so  as  to  have  the  effect  of  a  moderate  press,  and  it 
is  thus  left  till  dry.  Where  there  is  much  soiling  to  be  removed, 
and  of  old  standing,  it  may  be  allowable  to  use,  gently  and  care- 
fully, a  soft  hair  brush,  while  the  print  is  saturated  with  the  water, 
to  assist  in  the  disengagement  of  the  impurities. 

When  the  operation  of  cleaning  is  honestly  confined  to  no  more 
than  this,  little  or  no  damage  is  done  to  the  print.  Hecquet,  an 
eminent 'collector,  who-,  a  hundred  years  ago,  disclosed  to  the  world 
what  he  called  his  "  secret  for  cleaning  prints,"  suggests  no  other 
process  than  hot  water,  and  the  exposure  of  the  print,  face  down- 
ward, to  the  heat  of  the  sun  ;  and  he  declares  that  all  sorts  of  oil 
stains  may  be  removed  by  a  patient  application  of  these  remedies. 
But  the  truth  is  that,  when  a  print  has,  unluckily,  become  soiled 
with  ink,  wine,  coffee,  wax,  etc.,  more  active  remedies  must  be 
resorted  to.  It  then  frequently  becomes  a  question,  whether  to 
allow  the  soils  to  remain,  or  to  risk  irreparably  injuring  the  print, 
in  attempting  to  remove  them. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  meet  with  ancient  prints  that  have  evi- 
dently been  subjected  to  some  rough  manual  operation  of  cleansing, 
or  to  the  effect  of  chemical  acids  ;  and  this  not  in  parts  only,  but 
over  their  whole  surface.  Prints  are  often  seen,  especially  fine  prints, 
of  very  ancient  date,  which,  on  being  examined  with  a  lens  of 
high  power,  show  the  whole  texture  of  the  paper,  fretted,  ruffled 
up,  and  rendered,  as  it  were,  woolly,  suggesting  the  idea  of  its 


114  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

having  been  scoured  all  over  with  soap  and  water,  applied  with  a 
brush  of  bristles  ;  and,  very  possibly,  this  has  been  the  case.  The 
lines  of  the  engraving  are  broken,  overlaid,  and  confused  by  the 
raising  up  of  the  fibres  of  the  paper,  giving  an  indistinct  and 
blankety  appearance.  Violent  remedies,  such  as  indicated  by  re- 
sults like  these,  are  never  willingly  resorted  to  ;  and  the  general 
disapprobation  of  such,  or  indeed  of  any  chemical  processes,  is  best 
evidenced  by  the  universal  disinclination  of  all  cleaners  and  dealers 
to  admit  that  any  such  are  ever  used. 

Of  the  chemical  agents  employed  in  cleaning  prints,  the  most 
harmless  is  the  salt  of  lemon  :  this,  when  properly  and  carefully 
used,  is  perfectly  efficacious  for  the  removal  of  certain  stains, 
especially  those  of  writing  ink.  The  mode  of  applying  it  is  pretty 
much  according  to  the  printed  directions  sold  with  the  article. 
The  print  should  be  laid  on  a  pewter  or  silver  plate,  placed  over  a 
basin  of  boiling  water,  so  as  to  become  greatly  heated  ;  a  small 
quantity  of  the  salt  is  then  sprinkled  over  the  ink-spot,  and  a  little 
warm  water  dropped,  gradually,  upon  it,  from  a  small  camel's-hair 
pencil,  until  the  salt  is  wholly  dissolved.  In  a  few  minutes  the 
ink  will  disappear.  The  print  is  then  passed  through  clear  warm 
water,  and  proceeded  with  in  the  manner  before  directed,  in  the 
simple  washing  with  water.1 

1  In  a  previous  chapter  reference  has  been  made  to  the  custom  of  taking  the  first 
proofs  or  earlier  impressions  of  engravings  upon  India  paper.  This  is  the  universal 
practice  at  the  present  time.  The  printers  paste  the  thin  India  paper,  which  has  an 
especial  affinity,  so  to  speak,  for  the  ink,  taking  it  most  cleanly  and  perfectly  from  the 
plate,  upon  a  spongy  white  paper,  because  it  presents  a  soft  back  for  the  reception 
of  the  impression.  This  white  paper  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  India  paper, 
and  is  apt  to  become  spotted,  eventually  having  to  be  removed  and  replaced  by  some- 
thing better.  To  effect  this  the  engraving  should  be  immersed  in  clear  water,  when 
the  sheets  can  readily  be  detached.  If  the  print  be  small  it  is  better  not  to  paste  it 
down  again,  but  to  mount  it  loose  in  the  manner  before  indicated.  Should  it  be 
necessary,  however,  on  account  of  its  size,  to  reback  it,  the  services  of  an  expert,  who 
has  the  proper  tools  and  a  press  for  the  purpose,  should  be  called  in.  With  the  exercise 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR,  115 

We  shall  not  venture  to  offer  further  receipts  ;  the  other  agents 
resorted  to,  such  as  strong  lime,  oxymuriate  of  potash,  muriatic 
acid,  etc.,  cannot  be  used  with  any  degree  of  safety,  but  after  much 
experience  ;  and  we  shall  not  be  doing  any  kindness  to  our  young 
collector  to  encourage  him  to  make  experiments  that  even  in  the 
most  practised  hands  are  attended  with  danger. 

of  the  utmost  care  it  will  be  found  impossible  to  perform  this  operation  without 
injuring  the  brilliancy  of  the  impression.  Therefore,  unless  the  spots  or  stains  be 
very  bad,  it  is  better  not  to  tamper  with  the  print  at  all. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ON   THE   MODE   OF   COMMENCING   COLLECTOR. 

WE  will  suppose  that  our  would-be  collector  has  not,  as  yet,  any 
predilections  toward  any  one  or  other  school,  or  toward  any  one 
or  other  artist,  in  particular,  nor  to  any  subject  or  class  ;  and  that, 
indeed,  he  has  not,  as  yet,  knowledge  or  acquaintance  with  art 
sufficient  to  have  gained  any  such  bias  ;  but  that  his  simple  object 
is  to  acquire  a  small  select  collection. 

Under  these  circumstances,  if  he  be  a  person  of  sense  and  pru- 
dence, two  inquiries  will,  at  the  commencement,  suggest  themselves  : 
firstly,  the  most  judicious  mode  of  setting  to  work  ;  and,  secondly, 
the  probable  extent  of  the  expense  into  which  he  is  embarking. 
With  respect  to  this  latter  point,  although  it  has  sufficiently  appeared 
that  no  very  definite  idea  can  be  given  of  the  average  value  of  indi- 
vidual prints,  yet  it  may  be  satisfactory  to  know  that  it  is  by  no 
means  impossible  to  give  a  tolerable  estimate  of  the  price  at  which 


THE  PIUXT  COLLECTOR.  117 

a  respectable  collection,  if  the  nature  and  extent  of  it  be  well  deter- 
mined, may  be,  on  an  average,  obtained. 

The  circumstances  in  which  we  have  supposed  our  aspirant  to 
be  placed  are  precisely  those  in.whj.ch  the  author  of  these  pages 
found  himself  at  his  first  setting  out  ;  and,  conformably  with  what 
he  has  observed  in  his  preface,  he  apprehends  that  he  cannot  better 
offer  instruction  to  others  than  by  stating  what  he  now  considers 
his  own  mode  of  proceeding  would  have  been,  in  case  he  had  at 
that  time  been  possessed  of  the  knowledge  which  experience  has 
since  afforded  him.  His  idea  was  to  make  chronology  the  principle 
of  his  collection  ;  to  make  no  subdivision  into  schools,  at  least  at 
first,  but  to  select,  indifferently,  from  all  schools,  specimens  of  the 
greatest  masters,  as  they  arose  in  order  of  time  ;  and  thus  to  dis- 
play the  progress  of  the  art,  from  its  commencement  to  our  own 
times.  In  contemplating  a  collection  of  a  general  nature,  and  of  a 
limited  extent,  it  does  not  appear  that  any  better  plan  can  be  re- 
sorted to  than  to  follow  out  this  idea. 

Before  proceeding  to  make  any  purchases  whatever,  we  would 
recommend  that  a  list  be  drawn  up  of  a  certain  number  of  artists, 
some  one  or  more  of  whose  works,  but  no  others,  should  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  collection  ;  and  we  would  recommend  that  this  list 
contain  suclvartists  only  as  are  of  prominent  importance,  taking  care, 
however,  to  include  such  as  mark  aeras  in  the  art,  and  such  as  have 
invented  or  introduced  new  methods  of  working  ;  the  first  practisers, 
therefore,  of  the  dotted  manner  ;  of  etching  ;  of  dry  point  ;  of 
mezzotinto  ;  and,  in  wood,  the  inventors  of  chiaroscuro. 

We  would  advise  the  young  collector  to  be,  for  a  while,  content 
to  circumscribe  himself,  strictly,  within  this  list,  and  also  to  confine 
himself  to  a  very  few  specimens  of  each  artist  in  it  :  in  many  cases 
one  single  specimen  would  suffice.  Where,  indeed,  the  same  artist 
has  handled  subjects  of  different  descriptions,  and  which  will  fre- 
quently be  found  to  be  the  case,  the  collector  may  consider  himself 
at  liberty  to  obtain  a  sample  of  each  description  of  subject  :  a  spcci- 


Il8  THE   PRIN7^  COLLECTOR. 


men  of  the  artist's  execution  of  landscape,  for  instance  ;  another, 
of  his  portraits  ;  another,  of  his  historical  subjects. 

So,  also,  where  the  same  artist  has  engraved  in  different  styles,  a 
specimen  of  each  of  his  styles  may  be  advisable,  especially  when  he 
has  improved  by  change  of  school,  or  foreign  travel. 

Thus  :  of  Marc  Antonio,  connoisseurs  recognize  four  different 
manners,  at  four  different  periods  of  his  progress,  each  characterized 
by  its  specific  peculiarities.  So,  again,  where  the  same  artist  has 
practised  different  methods,  it  may  be  desirable  to  possess  a  speci- 
men of  his  pure  etching  ;  an  impression  from  a  plate  executed  by 
dry  point  alone,  or  by  the  burin  alone,  and  then  of  the  admix- 
ture of  two  or  more  of  these.  M.  Claussin  enumerates  seven  differ- 
ent processes,  practised  by  Rembrandt  ;  and  gives  several  instances, 
from  the  voluminous  works  of  this  artist,  of  prints  executed  by 
each  of  these  processes. 

We  would  recommend  that  prints  of  great  rarity,  or  extraordi- 
nary quality,  be,  at  this  early  period,  rather  avoided  than  sought  ; 
these  may  be  added  at  a  future  day,  as  opportunity  may  be  afforded. 
It  is  better  that,  before  touching  these,  the  eye  be  accustomed  to 
exercise  in  the  proper  department  ;  that  it  obtain  experience  to  be 
able  to  discern,  with  certainty,  what  is  most  congenial  to  its  own 
corrected  taste,  and  what  it  would  be  best  pleased  to  fall  back  upon 
for  permanent  enjoyment.  The  result  of  proceeding  in  this  manner 
will  be,  that  there  will  be  formed  a  perfect  skeleton,  though  not  a 
perfect  body,  of  a  collection  ;  a  sort  of  complete  framework, 
capable  of  receiving  and  supporting  whatever  additions  it  may  be 
afterward  wished  to  add  to  it.  It  is  as  though  a  man,  wishing  a 
planisphere  of  the  heavens,  were  to  lay  down  in  the  first  instance 
all  stars  of  one  given  magnitude  only,  or  some  two  or  three  stars  of 
each  constellation,  and  then,  at  his  leisure,  fill  up  the  intervals  with 
the  greater  and  lesser  heavenly  bodies,  to  a  never-ending  ex- 
tent. 

But  how  is  the  stranger  to  art  and  artists  to  furnish  himself  with 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  119 

such  a  list  or  catalogue  as  here  proposed  ?  There  is  not,  that  we 
are  aware  of,  any  publication  containing  such  a  thing,  or  calculated 
to  give  practical  assistance  to  the  beginner,  in  his  endeavors  to 
frame  such  a  thing  for  himself.  Whether  the  Dictionaries  of  Strutt 
and  Bryan  would  be  of  much  service  may  be  doubtful  ;  one  work 
there  is,  the  title  of  which  seemed  to  the  writer,  in  his  nonage,  as 
he  well  recollects,  to  promise  advice  toward  the  forming  a  collection, 
since  it  is  called  "  Idee  generale  d'une  Collection  complete 
d'Estampes  ;"  but,  alas  !  it  proved  too  true  to  its  title.  It  de- 
scribes, literally,  a  complete  collection  ;  it  is,  indeed,  nothing  less 
than  a  classification  of  all  existing  prints  in  the  known  world.  It  is 
of  no  use,  therefore,  to  our  present  object. 

There  are  other  works,  with  like  enticing  titles,  but  of  no  better 
practical  avail.  It  is  feared  that,  should  the  young  collector  sit 
down  to  such  books  as  these,  or  to  his  Bryan,  or  his  Strutt,  or,  in- 
deed, to  any  other  publication  bearing  promise  of  assistance,  he 
will  soon  find  himself  perplexed  and  overwhelmed,  rather  than  as- 
sisted, and  will  probably  be  discouraged  altogether  at  the  immensity 
of  the  prospect  opened  to  his  view.  He  will  become  quickly  sensi- 
ble of  the  want  of  an  experienced  hand  to  make  a  selection  for 
him. 

Such  a  selection  we  now  propose  to  submit  ;  a  selection  upon 
which  to  form  a  beginning,  and  calculated  to  be,  itself,  the  teacher 
of  further  progress.  Whether  we  arrange  this  selection  in  schools, 
or,  miscellaneously,  without  regard  to  schools,  is,  perhaps,  of  no 
great  importance.  It  may  be  observed  here  that  the  division  into 
schools  is  by  no  means  perfectly  defined,  nor  can  it  be,  from  the 
nature  of  things.  There  are  several  artists,  who  are  classed  some- 
times in  one  school,  sometimes  in  another,  and  who  may,  with 
equal  propriety,  be  considered  to  belong  to  one  or  the  other.  This 
occurs  in  instances  where  an  artist,  born  in  one  country,  was  edu- 
cated or  practised  in  another. 

Previous  to  proceeding  to  dictate  a  selection,  as  we  are  about  to 


120  THE   PRIXT  COLLECTOR. 

venture  to  do,  we  may  remark  that  it  is  not  probable  that  any  two 
persons,  however  conversant  with  their  subject,  upon  being  set  to 
work  to  form  a  list  of  some  fifty  or  hundred  artists,  whom  they 
would  recommend  as  best  fitted  to  build  up  the  skeleton,  as  we 
have  phrased  it,  of  a  collection,  would  agree  in  the  names  through- 
out ;  but  there  are,  nevertheless,  some  few  artists  whose  names 
would  unquestionably  be  found  in  every  catalogue  that  should  be 
so  drawn  up,  whatever  number  of  connoisseurs  might  be  set  to  the 
work  of  selection  ;  and  it  may  safely  be  asserted,  at  the  present 
day,  that  the  names  that  would  appear  in  this  unanimous  selection 
would  comprise  all  who  are  most  excellent,  and  none  who  are  not 
excellent,  in  the  art. 

This  could  not  have  been  asserted  half  a  century  back  ;  it  is  only 
of  late  years  that  works  possessing  the  highest  qualities  of  art  have 
been  duly  appreciated  in  our  country,  even  among  collectors  and 
writers  on  the  subject.  The  author  of  an  "  Essay  upon  Prints," 
published  in  1768,  in  giving  a  full  critical  account  of  all  the  noted 
engravers,  makes  little  other  mention  of  that  most  admirable  artist, 
Marc  Antonio,  than  to  inform  his  reader  that  the  only  merit  his 
works  can  claim  is  their  antiquity,  and  that,  but  for  this  quality, 
"  such  vile  prints"  would  never  obtain  credit  among  connoisseurs. 
With  equally  unhappy  obliquity  of  judgment  the  same  author  ob- 
serves, of  the  lovely  etchings  of  Claude  Lorraine,  that  they  are  the 
"dirty  shapes  of  something  which  he  could  not  express."  See 
the  Rev.Mr.  Gilpin's  "  Essay  on  Prints,"  page  233,  ct  scq. 

Nor  were  our  nearer  continental  neighbors  more  free  than  our- 
selves, at  this  period,  from  a  like  perversion  of  taste.  Forty  years 
after  the  publication  of  Mr.  Gilpin's  work,  a  French,  writer  of  a 
book  on  the  origin  of  engraving  and  the  knowledge  of  prints,  re- 
peats, nearly  word  for  word,  the  portentous  misjudgment  of  our 
reverend  connoisseur,  without  acknowledgment  or  mention  of  its 
original  author,  but  adopting  and  proclaiming  it  as  his  own.  See 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  121 

Jansen,  "  Essai  sur  1'Origine  de  la  Gravure,"  etc.  Paris.  1808. 
Vol.  I.,  p.  62. 

Meantime  the  Germans  show  a  better  feeling.  Writers  of  that 
nation  also  availed  themselves  of  the  more  valuable  part  of  the 
English  author's  essay,  but,  in  translating  great  part  of  it,  they  duly 
acknowledge  their  borrowing,  and  carefully,  but  tacitly,  omit  the 
unfortunate  criticisms  to  which  we  have  alluded.  See  Huber  et 
Rost,  "  Manuel  des  Curieux,"  etc.  Zurich.  1797. 

As  it  may  be  thought  by  proficients  to  be  more  in  character  to 
adopt  the  systematic  method  of  arrangement  into  schools,  we  will 
pursue  that  course,  and  commence  with 

THE   ITALIAN   SCHOOL. 

The  Italian  school  is  characterized,  and  especially  when  con- 
trasted with  the  German,  by  dignity  of  composition  and  style  ;  by 
simplicity  and  grace,  the  result  of  the  study  of  the  ancient  sculp- 
tures ;  and  by  the  plain  and  unaffected  draperies.  In  this  last 
characteristic  we  must  be  understood  not  to  refer  to  the  very  early 
state  of  the  art  ;  for  in  some  of  the  most  ancient  works —  '  The 
Entombment,"  for  example,  by  Andrea  Mantegna — the  draperies 
are  nearly  as  complicated,  angular,  and  frittered  as  in  the  German 
of  the  same  and  later  aera. 

The  Italian  style  is  further,  and  more  especially,  distinguished 
by  the  superiority  of  the  drawing  of  the  human  figure,  the  due  pro- 
portions of  the  limbs,  the  fulness  of  the  contours,  and  the  shape  of 
the  body  and  action  of  the  muscles,  apparent  beneath  the  drapery. 
There  is  not  a  doubt  that  the  finest  artists  of  this  ancient  school 
drew  all  their  figures  in  the  naked,  and  clothed  them  afterward,  or, 
rather,  indeed,  drew  them  in  the  skeleton,  and  then  clothed  them 
with  flesh,  and,  lastly,  with  drapery. 

Our  catalogue  may  commence  with  ANDREA  MANTEGNA,  born 
in  1431.  He  is  not  quite  the  earliest  artist  of  his  school,  but  the 


122  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

works  of  the  few  who  precede  him  are  rare  and  costly.  He  is  the 
first,  therefore,  of  whose  engraving  a  specimen  may  be  obtained 
without  much  difficulty  and  expense,  and  he  is  sufficiently  ancient 
to  exemplify  the  infancy  of  the  art.  He  is  remarkable,  also,  for 
his  manner  of  working,  the  shading  being  effected  by  means  of 
diagonal  lines  only,  drawn  from  right  to  left,  without  any  crossing. 
This  is  the  artist  who  painted  the  frescoes  ef  the  Triumph  of  Caesar, 
now  at  Hampton  Court  Palace. 

We  have  no  inclination  to  recommend  more  artists  of  this  early 
period,  unless  it  be  JULIO  CAMPAGNOLO.  Him  we  mention  be- 
cause of  his  being  the  first  who  introduced  what  is  called  the  dotted 
manner,  and  which  many  have  supposed  to  be  a  modern  invention  : 
prints  by  him  are  not  frequently  met  with,  and  are  consequently 
expensive. 

We  may  notice,  at  this  opportunity,  that  there  are,  in  these 
early  times,  as  well  in  the  Italian  as  in  the  German  school,  prints 
by  artists  whose  names  are  wholly  unknown.  Most  of  these,  how- 
ever, used  marks  or  monograms,  initial  letters,  either  singly  or  fan- 
tastically combined,  or  other  devices,  sometimes  very  fanciful  ones, 
by  which  their  works  are  distinguished,  and  after  which,  indeed, 
they  are  named.  Thus  we  have,  in  the  Italian  school,  the  Master 
of  the  Mousetrap  ;  the  Master  of  the  Die  :  in  the  German  school, 
the  Master  of  the  Caduceus  ;  the  Master  of  the  Crab  ;  the  Shuttle  ; 
the  Anchor,  and  others  ;  so  named  from  the  circumstance  of  these 
unknown  artists  having  characterized  their  works  with  these 
figures. 

There  are,  comparatively,  very  few  ancient  artists  who  have  put 
their  names  at  length  on  their  prints.  The  generality  use  a  mono- 
gram ;  sometimes  Jhree  or  four  different  monograms,  or  varieties  of 
the  same.  Marc  Antonio  used,  sometimes,  a  plain  tablet,  and  some- 
times a  cipher,  of  which  his  plates  exhibit  six  varieties.  Albert 
Durer  has  five  varieties.  Some  artists  used  fanciful  figures,  and 
some  a  sort  of  rebus  or  enigma  of  their  name.  Thus  :  the  Hopfers 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  123 

used  a  hop  plant,  which  their  name  implies  ;  Schaufflein,  from 
similar  fancy,  a  baker's  peel  ;  Lucas  Krug,  a  jug  ;  and  Martin  Rota, 
a  wheel  ;  Van  Staren  puts  a  star  between  the  initials  of  his  name  ; 
and  Cornelius  Cort  has  two  fighting  cocks. 

These  monograms  are  so  numerous,  and  there  are  so  many  an- 
cient artists  who  are  recognized  wholly  by  them,  their  names  being 
unknown,  that  dictionaries  and  other  works  have  been  compiled  on 
this  subject  alone.  Of  all  the  unnamed  artists,  the  aera,  as  well  as 
the  name,  is  uncertain  ;  and  as  neither  excellence  of  design,  pov- 
erty of  invention,  nor  merit  of  execution,  is,  by  any  means,  a  cri- 
terion of  chronological  order,  it  is  not  possible  to  assign  to  them, 
with  certainty,  any  distinct  dates  or  order  of  priority  ;  suffice  it 
that  they  all  fall  at  a  very  early  period,  and  their  works  are,  mostly, 
of  great  rarity. 

We  will  now  pass  at  once  to  a  name  which  marks  a  memorable 
aera  in  the  history  of  engraving — the  name  of  MARC  ANTONIO 
RAIMONDI.  This  great  artist  was  born  about  the  year  1487  ;  he 
was  contemporary  with  Raffaelle,  whose  works  he  engraved,  under 
that  great  painter's  own  eye  and  immediate  superintendence. 

The  prints  of  Marc  Antonio  afford  a  good  illustration  of  progress 
toward  perfection.  His  earliest  performances  were  executed  while 
resident  at  Bologna,  with  Francia,  under  whom  he  studied.  In 
these,  his  drawing  is  without  much  taste,  and  frequently  incorrect, 
the  shadows  harsh,  and  a  deficiency  of  intelligence  betrays  itself 
throughout.  Quitting  Bologna  for  Venice,  Marc  Antonio  there 
fell  in  with  the  prints  from  wood  blocks,  designed  by  Albert  Diirer  ; 
and  so  great  was  his  admiration  of  these  that  he  copied,  on  copper, 
the  whole  series  of  sixteen,  now  known  as  "  The  Little  Passion." 
From  Venice,  Marc  Antonio  went  to  Rome,  and  there,  becoming  a 
pupil  of  the  great  Raffaelle,  and  being  duly  appreciated  by  that 
master,  he  rapidly  rose  to  the  summit  of  his  fame. 

The  truth,   purity,  and  spontaneous  grace  of  his  outline  have 
never,  to  this  day,  been  excelled,  or  perhaps  equalled.     It  will  be 


124  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

well  to  obtain  a  specimen  both  of  his  earlier  and  his  later  manner. 
His  works  are  very  numerous  ;  and  although  extra  fine  impressions 
of  any  of  his  prints  are  always  costly,  yet  sufficiently  good  impres- 
sions of  many  of  them  may  be  met  with  at  a  comparatively  mod- 
erate price.  Perhaps  the  finest  specimen  of  his  finest  manner  is  the 
"Adam  and  Eve,"  after  Raffaelle  ;  the  drawing  of  this  is  so  ex- 
quisite that  the  great  painter  is  believed  to  have  himself  assisted 
the  engraver  in  his  work.  The  same  is  said  of  his  "  Judgment  of 
Paris. ' ' 

Among  Marc  Antonio's  works  are  engravings  from  Raffaelle's 
first  designs  for  three  of  the  cartoons  :  fair  impressions  of  these  are 
neither  rare  nor  very  costly.  These  prints  are  interesting,  in  that 
they  vary  from  the  cartoons  as  ultimately  executed,  and  exhibit, 
therefore,  the  first  thoughts  of  the  painter.  A  comparison  of  these 
engravings  with  Dorigny's,  from  the  same  subjects,  or  with  the 
elaborate  over-workings  of  still  more  modern  artists,  will  satisfy 
any  judicious  eye  of  the  progress  made  by  the  moderns  in  mechan- 
ical execution,  and  at  the  same  time  that,  in  this  advance,  excel- 
lence, in  some  of  the  higher  qualities,  has  been  left  behind. 

AGOSTINO  DA  Musis,  called  VENEZIANO,  and  -  MARCO  DA 
RAVENNA,  were  pupils  of  Marc  Antonio,  the  former  the  more  ex- 
cellent, perhaps.  They  both  followed  him  so  closely  as  to  have 
sometimes,  as  is  believed,  worked  in  conjunction  with  him  ;  nor 
are  their  works  always  clearly  distinguishable  from  their  master's, 
though  neither  of  them,  indeed,  ever  approached  the  consummate 
excellence  of  Raimondi's  best  performances. 

JULIO  BONASONI,  born  in  1496,  is  a  truly  original  artist,  al- 
though he  neglected  many  of  the  essentials,  and  more  of  the  acces- 
sories, of  the  art  :  many  of  his  plates  acquire  additional  value  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  pictures,  frorn  which  they  were  engraved, 
being  no  longer  in  existence.  'His  best  engravings  are  those  after 
his  own  designs,  an  observation  which  applies,  with  equal  truth,  to 
almost  every  engraver. 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  125 

An  anonymous  engraver,  known  as  the  MASTER  OF  THE  DIE, 
from  having  used,  as  his  monogram,  a  small  cube,  is  another  of 
Marc  Antonio's  pupils,  and  is  even  preferred  by  Bartsh  to 
Agostino. 

The  Mantuan  family  of  Ghisi  comprise  four  artists,  all  of  consid- 
erable eminence — John  Baptiste,  George,  Adam,  and  Diana.  A 
specimen  of  the  work  of  GEORGE  GHISI  will  be  sufficient. 

To  these  succeeds  a  great  name  among  painters,  known  as  PAR- 
MEGIANO,  the  first,  among  the  Italians,  by  whom  vte  have  etchings. 
The  spirit  and  genius  which  appear  in  these,  the  sweet  character  of 
the  heads,  the  elegant  turn  of  the  figures,  and  the  beauty  and  sim- 
plicity of  the  composition,  amply  atone  for  the  deficiency,  which 
certainly  must  be  admitted  to  exist,  in  the  mechanical  execution. 

CARAGLIO  is  another  of  Marc  Antonio's  pupils,  and  ranks  among 
the  most  able  of  them. 

./ENEAS  Vico  is  also  of  this  school,  though  not  so  successful  a 
pupil  as  those  already  named.  Among  his  works  is  a  very  interest- 
ing print,  representing  the  studio  of  Baccio  Bandinelli,  after  a  pic- 
ture by  that  artist  and  containing  his  portrait. 

BAROCCIO,' born  in  1528,  is  esteemed  for  the  excellence  of  his 
drawing  and  expression. 

CORNELIUS  CORT,  though  born  in  Holland,  ranks,  as  entitled, 
in  the  Italian  school,  and  he  had  for  his  pupil  Agostino  Carracci  ; 
and  we  now  come  to  this  illustrious  family,  who  have  immortal- 
ized their  names,  not  only  by  the  extraordinary  excellence  of  their 
works  as  painters,  but  as  the  establishers  of  a  school  in  that  art. 

LUDOVICO  CARRACCI  has  left  but  a  few  small  prints,  slight,  free, 
and  masterly,  the  design  being  first  etched,  and  the  work  thon  fin- 
ished with  the  graver. 

AGOSTINO  CARRACCI  executed  numerous  engravings,  wom'tig 
entirely  with  the  burin  :  these  comprise  portraits,  subjects,  and 
landscapes,  many  of  large  size,  after  various  masters,  and  all  of  ex- 
traordinary merit.  His  drawing  of  the  naked  parts  of  the  figure  is 


126  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

admirable  ;  the  heads  are  fine,  and  the  extremities  are  marked  in  a 
most  accurate  and  masterly  manner. 

ANNIBAL  CARRACCI'S  etchings  are  greatly  and  deservedly  es- 
teemed ;  he  is  remarkable  for  the  correctness  with  which  he  drew 
the  human  figure,  and  the  admirable  taste  which  he  displayed. 

CHERUBINO  ALBERTI  is  another  distinguished  engraver  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  who  executed  numerous  plates,  after  various 
masters.  They  are  not  very  powerful  in  effect.  Like  the  Carracci, 
and  all  other  artists  of  this  period,  he  neglected  the  chiaroscuro. 
This  was  the  great  defect  of  that  time. 

VlLLAMENA  is  a  bold,  effective  artist,  who  followed  the  style  of 
Cort  and  Agostino,  both  in  their  beauties  and  in  their  faults.  His 
works  are  very  numerous,  and  after  various  masters  of  different 
reputations  ;  none  of  them  are  high  priced. 

GuiDO,  having  left  some  etchings,  which  are  neither  scarce  nor 
costly,  so  eminent  an  artist  ought  to  find  his  way  into  a  collection, 
however  small ;  although,  indeed,  his  works  on  copper  do  not  ap- 
proach the  excellence  to  be  expected  from  so  great  a  painter. 

We  now  reach  the  seventeenth  century,  which  is  ushered  in 
by  a  voluminous,  pleasing,  and  spirited  artist,  BELLA  BELLA  ; 
and  by  another,  who,  whether  classed  with  the  Italian  school,  or, 
as  he  frequently  is,  with  the  French,  may  be  considered  a  twin 
brother,  the  still  more  voluminous  CALLOT.  The  infinite  variety 
displayed  in  his  minute  multitudinous  population,  the  neatness  and 
clearness  of  his  work,  and  the  smartness  and  spirit  of  his  diminutive 
figures,  are  truly  wonderful. 

SPAGNIOLETTO,  SALVATOR  ROSA,  CASTIGLIONI,  may  each  claim 
a  place  in  our  selection  ;  as  also  that  bold,  free  etcher,  PlRANESI, 
but  that  he  is  almost  too  gigantic.  Prints  by  these  engravers  are 
easy  to  meet  with,  and  at  no  great  price.  But  we  are  drawing  to  a 
close,  for  the  eighteenth  century  is  opening  upon  us,  with  CANA- 
LETTI,  BARTQLOZZI,  VOLPATO,  RAPHAEL  MORGHEN. 

This  approach  toward  modern  times  calls  for  a  determination 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  127 

of  the  question,  whether  it  might,  or  might  not,  be  advisable  to  fix 
an  aera  at  which  our  collection  should  stop.  Both  artists  and  pro- 
ductions are,  in  very  modern  times,  so  numerous  that  selection 
becomes  more  perplexing,  perhaps  we  may  say  more  invidious, 
and  yet,  certainly,  more  indispensable,  if  the  collection  be  to  have 
any  moderate  limit.  In  fixing  a  period  beyond  which  the  term 
"  ancient"  should  not  be  considered  to  attach,  the  obvious  course 
seems  to  be  to  make  use  of  some  boundary  line,  which  circum- 
stances have  already  traced  for  us.  We  may  adopt,  for  instance,  as 
a  rule  for  a  collection  of  ancient  prints,  that  no  artist  shall  be  ad- 
mitted who  is  too  modern  to  have  a  place  in  Bryan's  Dictionary,  or, 
perhaps,  the  preceding  one  of  Strutt. 

In  thus  running  through  the  whole  Italian  school,  to  the  period 
just  proposed  as  the  limit,  it  will  be  seen  that  we  have  not  encum- 
bered our  young  collector  with  above  thirty  names  ;  and  yet  no 
one  artist  of  much  importance  is  omitted,  although  a  great  number 
might  be  added,  some  works  of  all  of  whom  would  be  desirable 
acquisitions.  These  may  form  matter  for  future  selections  when- 
ever it  may  be  desired  to  augment  the  portfolio. 

All  the  artists  hitherto  named  engraved  on  copper.  Prints 
from  wooden  blocks  are  much  less  esteemed,  or  at  least  are,  gen- 
erally speaking,  of  greatly  less  cost  than  engravings  on  copper  ; 
and  there  are  connoisseurs  who  may,  perhaps,  consider  them  as 
rather  derogatory  to  a  fine  collection. 

Nevertheless,  there  is  some  temptation  to  covet  a  specimen  of 
UGO  DA  CARPI,  born  in  1486,  and  whom  his  countrymen  of  Italy 
regard  as  the  inventor  of  the  mode  of  producing  prints  in  what  is 
called  chiaroscuro,  by  which  is  meant  the  printing,  in  different 
shades,  by  means  of  two  or  more  blocks  ;  the  same  process,  in  short, 
as  that  used  for  modern  paper-hanging. 

ANDREA  ANDREANI,  half  a  century  later,  was  another  eminent 
artist  in  this  style. 

Before  quitting  the  Italian  school,  we  will  intimate  that  we  have 


128  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

hitherto  been  silent  as  to  what  ought,  in  truth,  to  be  the  first  speci- 
men, in  point  of  time,  in  a  portfolio  of  ancient  Italian  engravings. 
When  our  young  collector  shall  have  attained  courage  to  lay  out 
five  or  ten  pounds,  or  more,  in  a  single,  dull  colored,  oily-looking, 
diminutive  print,  of,  perhaps,  an  inch  square,  and  of  no  very  taking 
appearance  to  the  popular  eye,  we  recommend  him,  when  oppor- 
tunity serves,  and  after  he  has  been  for  some  time  industriously  at 
work  at  subordinate  matters,  to  head  his  collection  with  a  specimen 
of  a  genuine  impression  of  niello.  The  assumption,  on  which  we 
have  been  all  along  proceeding,  that  our  reader  is,  as  yet,  uninitiated, 
and  not  at  all  read  iA  the  subject  of  which  we  treat,  will  supply  an 
excuse  for  repeating  the  oft-told  tale,  necessary  to  explain  the 
phrase  just  used,  "•  niello." 

Wood  engraving  is,  generally,  allowed  to  have  been  first  brought 
into  use  in  Europe  by  the  Germans  ;  but  the  first  practice,  and,  in- 
deed, invention,  of  taking  impressions  on  paper  from  engravings  on 
metal,  is  generally  attributed  to  the  Italians. 

The  goldsmiths,  who  executed  works  in  intaglio,  for  purposes  of 
ornament  for  armor,  scabbards,  knife-handles,  bracelets,  etc.,  were 
accustomed  to  fill  their  work,  when  finished,  with  a  black  compo- 
sition which  they  called  "  niello,"  which,  when  dry,  became  com- 
pact and  hard,  and  not  again  removable  from  the  work  ;  and  which, 
making  visible  all  the  fine  lines  of  the  graver  on  the  silver  plate, 
gave  great  effect  to  the  performance.  Many  specimens  exist  of 
silver  ornamental  work  thus  engraved,  and  filled  with  niello  ;  and 
these  go  by  the  name  of  "  nielli." 

It  is  said  that  the  workers  in  this  method  were  accustomed,  after 
finishing  their  engraving  in  the  silver,  and  before  filling  it  with 
niello,  to  take  an  impression,  or  mould,  of  it  in  fine  earth,  and  from 
that  mould  to  take  a  sulphur  cast.  This  cast,  which  was  a  counter- 
part of  the  silver,  though  in  another  substance,  they  then  rubbed 
with  soot  and  oil  until  all  its  cavities  were  filled  with  black  ;  the 
surface  of  the  sulphur  being  then  cleaned,  the  artist  was  enabled  to 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  129 

see  precisely  what  the  effect  of  his  silver  engraving  would  be 
when  it  should  come  to  be  filled  with  black  in  like  manner. 

This  practice  led  to  the  taking,  occasionally,  an  impression  on 
wet  paper,  from  the  plate  itself.  This  was  effected  by  rubbing  the 
silver  with  soot  and  oil  till  all  the  graved  work  was  filled  with  it  ; 
then,  wiping  the  surface,  laying  on  it  a  piece  of  damped  paper,  and 
rolling  it,  by  hand,  with  a  round,  smooth  roller.  Thus  it  was  that 
the  art  originated  of  taking  impressions  on  paper  from  engraved 
plates  of  metal,  and  which  we  now  term  the  art  of  engraving. 
After  a  while  the  roller  was  improved  into  the  rolling-press,  and 
impressions  were  multiplied,  with  more  precision,  fulness,  and  ex- 
pedition. 

The  artist  to  whom  the  credit  of  this  invention  is  given  is  Maso 
Finiguerra.  There  exist  impressions,  from  nielli,  which  are,  with 
much  confidence,  ascribed  to  his  hand.  One  of  these  has  been 
noticed  and  described  in  a  previous  page.  An  original  ancient  im- 
pression from  one  of  these  nielli,  by  whatever  artist,  and  it  is  not 
frequently  possible  to  appropriate  them,  appears,  certainly,  to  be 
the  legitimate  commencement  of  a  chronological  series  of  specimens 
of  copper-plate  engraving. 

THE   GERMAN   SCHOOL. 

Let  us  now  proceed  to  run  through  another  school  in  the  same 
manner  that  we  have  ventured  to  do  the  Italian.  It  has  already 
been  observed  that  the  Germans  claim  the  credit  of  having  been 
the  first  to  introduce  into  Europe  the  practice  of  the  art  of  wood 
engraving.  This  preceded  the  invention  of  printing.  Printing,  at 
its  offset,  was  not  performed  by  means  of  movable  types,  as  at 
present,  and  in  which  operation  each  page  is  formed  by  the  com- 
positor, letter  by  letter,  but  the  whole  wording  of  each  page  was  cut 
in  relief  on  a  block  of  wood,  and  from  this  the  page  was  printed. 
This  is  the  same  process  as  the  modern  method  called  stereotype, 


130  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

the  only  difference  being  that  in  the  latter  process  the  printing  is 
not  done  with  the  wooden  block,  but  with  a  block  or  plate  of  metal, 
cast  from  a  mould. 

The  taking  an  impression,  on  paper,  from  an  engraved  block  of 
wood,  being  an  operation  precisely  similar  to  this  block-printing, 
the  art  fell  immediately  into  use  in  combination  with  it  ;  for  it 
served  at  once  to  illustrate  the  meaning,  adorn  the  book,  amuse  the 
reader,  assist  his  imagination,  and  fix  deeper  in  his  recollection  the 
subject  matter  of  the  text  ;  and  as  the  earliest  of  these  block- 
books  were  Bible  histories,  saintly  legends,  or  religious  exercises, 
these  assistances  were  considered  of  much  utility,  and  were  very 
copiously  resorted  to.  The  impressions  from  wood  engravings, 
which  appear  in  these  block-books,  may  be  esteemed  the  earliest 
specimens  of  the  art  practised  in  Europe  ;  and,  unless  we  supercil- 
iously discard  all  wood  engravings  as  unworthy  of  a  place  in  a  col- 
lection, they  seem  fittest,  for  this  reason,  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a 
chronological  arrangement. 

The  earliest  specimens  are  anonymous.  There  is  no  artist, 
whose  name  is  known,  until  MICHAEL  WOLGEMUTH,  born  in  1434, 
at  Nuremberg.  This  is  he  who,  in  conjunction  with  William  Pley- 
denwurff,  published,  in  1493,  the  curious  folio  known  by  the  name 
of  "  The  Nuremberg  Chronicle."  Some  suppose  that  the  earliest 
specimens  of  wood  engraving  are  such  as  have  the  back  of  the  print 
plain  and  unprinted,  for  that  these,  probably,  were  executed  before 
the  printers  had  acquired  the  method  of  printing  both  sides  of 
the  paper.  Nevertheless,  it  does  not  clearly  appear  that  there  ever 
was  a  time  when  they  could  not  print  on  both  sides,  and,  therefore, 
we  should  rather  recommend  that  the  specimen,  for  our  collection, 
be  a  print  that  has  block-printing  at  the  back  of  it,  since  this  will 
afford  a  tolerable  presumption  that  such  a  print  was  struck  off  pre- 
vious to  the  time  of  the  coming  into  use  of  movable  type. 

The  early  German  school  is  characterized  less  by  its  beauty  than 
its  want  of  that  quality.  The  artists  do  not  seem  to  have  studied 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  131 

from  nature,  and  they  had  not  the  advantage,  possessed  by  the 
Italians,  of  a  reference  to  the  great  and  beautiful  remains  of  Greek 
art.  Their  drawing  is  defective,  and  sometimes  to  a  lamentable 
degree,  more  especially  in  the  naked  figure,  which  is  ever  incorrect 
in  outline,  meagre  and  emaciated  in  form,  the  extremities  large, 
the  joints  heavy  and  protuberant.  The  draperies  exhibit  a  multi- 
plicity of  folds,  the  arrangement  of  which,  in  all  sorts  of  angles, 
seems  to  have  exercised  all  the  ingenuity  and  invention  of  the  de- 
signers :  they  appear  as  if  made  of  crumpled  paper  ;  nor  is  there 
ever  any  attempt  to  give  any  indication  of  limbs  concealed  beneath 
them. 

The  first  name  which  occurs  as  a  copper-plate  engraver  of  the 
German  school  is  MARTIN  SCHOEN,  born  toward  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century  ;  and  to  him  has  been  generally  conceded  the  credit 
of  being  the  first  person,  known  by  name,  who  engraved  metal 
plates  for  the  express  and  sole  purpose  of  taking  from  them,  and 
multiplying  impressions  on  paper.  His  prints  are  without  date, 
and  the  time  of  his  birth  is  unknown,  but  he  died  in  1486.  He 
engraved  from  his  own  compositions,  a  circumstance  which  always 
increases  the  interest  of  a  print,  and  may  well  be  supposed  to  con- 
tribute to  excellency  also.  There  remain  upward  of  one  hundred 
prints  by  this  artist,  and  many  of  them  are  by  no  means  difficult  to 
be  obtained.  Though  not  exempt  from  the  general  character,  just 
given,  of  early  German  art,  yet  he  is  less  Gothic  than  the  generality 
of  his  countrymen  ;  his  heads  are  often  beautifully  expressive,  and 
are,  indeed,  the  best  part  of  his  performances.  He  gained,  in  his 
own  time,  the  epithet  of  "  Le  Beau  Martin."  One  of  his  prints, 
"St.  Anthony  Carried  into  the  Air  by  Demons,"  was  thought 
worthy,  by  Michael  Angelo,  of  being  studied  and  copied  by  him  in 
color.  Buonarotti  was  then,  indeed,  but  a  boy  ;  but  it  must  be 
remembered  that,  as  Eustace  observes,  he  was  a  boy  who  broke 
out  an  original  sculptor  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  and  who  excelled 


132  THE  1>RI.\'T  COLLECTOR. 

most  in  that  part  of  sculpture  which  forms  the  very  essence  of 
drawing. 

An  anonymous  artist,  contemporary,  or  nearly  so,  with  Martin 
Schoen,  is  a  voluminous  engraver,  known  as  THE  MASTER  OF  1466, 
from  the  circumstance  of  that  date  appearing  on  one  of  his  prints. 
He  used  no  monogram,  and  his  works  are  not  recognizable,  there- 
fore, except  by  the  style  of  his  design,  and  the  manner  of  his  en- 
graving ;  but  in  these  he  is  so  characteristic  that  it  is  not  difficult 
to  appropriate  his  works  ;  all  of  them  evince  much  intelligence  and 
originality. 

ISRAEL  vox  MECHELEN,  born  in  1424,  and  his  son,  of  the  same 
name  (if  two  there  were,  but,  if  so,  they  are  confounded  together), 
are  artists  of  much  notoriety,  but  arising,  certainly,  not  from 
superior  merit,  but  from  the  multitude  of  their  performances  which 
remain,  and  which  amount  to  nearly  250  in  number.  They  exhibit 
all  the  Gothic  taste  of  the  age  and  country  to  which  they  belong, 
with  few  qualities  to  redeem  it.  This,  it  would  appear,  was  the 
judgment  of  their  fellow-artists  of  their  day  ;  for  it  is  remarkable 
that,  although  there  was  a  very  prevalent  habit,  at  this  period,  of 
engravers  copying  one  another's  prints,  it  is  said  to  be  doubtful 
whether  there  exist  a  single  print  which  is  copied  from  an  original 
design  of  Von  Mechelen. 

Of  such  artists  one  sample  may  suffice,  and  we  may,  without 
regret,  pass  over  what  others  there  may  be  of  like  estimation  ;  and, 
as  in  the  Italian  school,  we  made  a  step  from  infant  attempts  to 
the  full  maturity  of  the  art,  exemplified  in  Marc  Antonio,  so,  in 
the  German  school,  we  may  stride  from  the  Gothic  struggles  of 
the  earlier  artists  to  the  comparative  perfection  of  the  art,  as  ex- 
emplified in  the  great  name  of  ALBERT  DlJRER. 

Born  in  14/1,  this  intelligent  and  industrious  artist  was  painter 
as  well  as  engraver,  a  geometrician,  and  a  writer  on  these  subjects, 
and  on  civil  and  military  architecture.  Like  his  great  compeer  of 
Italy,  he  marks,  in  his  own  country,  as  important  an  aera  in  German 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  133 

engraving  as  Marc  Antonio  does  in  the  Italian  school.  Vasari, 
Du  Fresnoy,  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  concur  in  opinion  that  if 
Albert  Du'rer  had  had  the  advantage  of  an  Italian  education  he 
would  have  ranked  in  the  very  first  class.  His  works  are  numerous, 
both  in  copper  and  on  wood  ;  and  to  him  is  also  attributed  the  in- 
vention of  etching.  Some  of  his  prints  are  thought  to  be  from 
plates  of  iron  or  steel,  rather  than  copper. 

We  are  not  aware  that  there  is  any  proof  of  this,  or  that  it  is 
more  than  conjecture,  arising  from  a  certain  peculiar  appearance  in 
the  prints,  as  to  which  the  supposition  applies  ;  but  it  may  be  re- 
marked that  there  was  published,  in  1599,  in  London,  a  book, 
translated  from  the  Dutch,  which,  therefore,  was  probably  of  some 
years'  earlier  date,  which  treats  of  the  method  of  "  graving  with 
strong  water  on  steel  and  iron,"  a  title  which  seems  to  infer,  not 
only  that  steel  and  iron  plates  were  used  for  engraving,  but  that  the 
art  of  etching,  invented  in  the  same  century,  was  confined  to  those 
metals,  and  not  as  yet  practised  on  copper. 

The  copper-plates  of  Albert  Diirer  are  executed  with  the  graver 
only,  in  so  neat  and  excellent  a  style  that,  for  facility  of  execution 
and  command  of  that  instrument,  he  has  never  been  excelled. 
They  are  all  from  designs  of  his  own.  Some  connoisseurs  have  fan- 
cied that  the  "  Prodigal  Son,"  and  one  or  two  others,  are  copies 
from  Durer's  master,  Michael  Wolgemut  ;  but  there  does  not  appear 
to  be  any  good  ground  for  this  assertion  ;  and  the  specimens  which 
we  have  of  Wolgemut's  art,  in  the  once  famous  Nuremberg  Chron- 
icle, do  not,  by  any  means,  favor  the  idea. 

Albert  Diirer  displays  great  copiousness  of  invention,  an  accu- 
rate observation  of  individual  nature,  and  great  talent  of  represent- 
ing the  characters  and  textures  of  objects.  One  or  more  specimens 
should  be  sought,  both  of  his  copper-plates  and  his  wood-engrav- 
ings, and  one  sample  also  of  his  etchings,  although  these  are  very 
few  in  number.1 

1  The  judgment  of  the  present  age  will  hardly  allow  the  collector  to  be  contented 
wfth  one  specimen  of  Dtlrer's  engravings.  Let  the  scheme  for  forming  a  collection, 


134  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

One  peculiar  circumstance  we  must  mention  respecting  Albert 
Durer,  for  the  sake  of  the  credit  which  it  does  him.  In  selecting 
specimens  of  his  prints,  there  is  nothing  to  avoid  ;  and  there  is 
scarcely  another  ancient  artist  of  whom  this  can  be  said.  He 
stands  almost  alone  in  moral  character  ;  he  never  engraved  what 
is  technically  called  a  free  subject  ;  nor  is  there,  throughout  his 
works,  an  indelicate  representation  or  gross  allusion.  So  excellent 
was  the  private  character  of  Albert  Durer  that  his  friend,  Melanc- 
thon,  used  to  say  of  him  that  his  least  merit  was  his  art.  This  is, 
indeed,  laudari  a  laudato  viro. 

With  respect  to  wood-engravings,  as  well  those  by  the  artist 
under  consideration  as  by  others,  it  is  proper  to  notice  that  the 
better  opinion  seems  to  be  that  the  share  which  the  designer  him- 
self had  in  these  was  confined  to  the  drawing  of  his  design  on  the 
block,  and  that  the  very  mechanical  operation  of  cutting  away  was 
left  to  subordinate  hands.  Now  and  then,  perhaps,  an  artist  may 
have  himself  been  the  wood-cutter,  but  that  he  was  not  always,  or 
even  generally  so,  is  proved  from  the  circumstance  of  blocks  exist- 
ing, at  this  day,  at  the  back  of  which  is  found  the  name  of  the 
wood-engraver  ;  and  Jean  Neudorffer,  a  contemporary  of  Albert 
Durer,  expressly  states  (as  cited  in  De  Murr's  Journal)  that  Jerome 
Resch,  a  medal  and  letter-type  engraver,  was  the  person  by  whom 
were  engraved,  on  wood,  most  of  the  designs  of  Albert  Durer. 

as  suggested  by  Mr.  Maberly,  be  ever  so  complete  and  systematic,  there  are  excep- 
tions, and  Durer  is  a  master  of  whose  work  it  would  seem  impossible  to  have  too 
many  examples.  We  would  rather  counsel  the  acquisition  of  almost  every  print  of 
importance  by  him,  when  it  can  be  had  in  fine  condition  and  at  a  reasonable  price. 
His  subjects  are  replete  with  interest  as  well  as  marvellous  in  execution.  In  England 
they  have  never  been  until  late  years  as  thoroughly  appreciated  as  Rembrandt's  etchings 
have  been. 

The  collector  will  find  it  difficult  enough  to  secure  fine  examples  of  either  Durer, 
Rembrandt,  or  Marc  Antonio,  and  there  will  probably  be  no  danger  of  his  becoming 
possessed  of  too  many  of  the  works  of  either  of  these  artists,  who  form  the  great  trio 
of  engravers,  standing  foremost  among  them  all. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  135 

HANS  BURGHMAIR,  a  very  voluminous  engraver  on  wood,  HANS 
SCHAUFFLEIN,  and  WENCESLAUS  OF  OLMUTZ,  may  afford  one 
sample  each.  For  this  last-named  artist,  M.  Duchesne  claims  the 
credit  of  being  the  inventor  of  etching,  on  the  ground  that  an  etch- 
ing exists,  bearing  his  monogram,  with  the  date  of  1496  ;  whereas 
the  earliest  of  the  etchings  of  Albert  Durer,  the  hitherto  reputed 
inventor,  bears  date  1512. 

LUCAS  VAN  LEYDEN  affords  specimens  of  beautifully  fine  work, 
but  the  extreme  delicacy  of  his  handling  occasioned  his  plates  to 
wear  down  very  soon,  and  good  impressions  of  this  artist's  works 
are  therefore  rare.  It  is  of  little  use  to  point  out  what  may  be 
preferable  specimens,  because,  in  early  masters,  and  especially  such 
whose  works  are  more  uncommon,  a  collector  will  rarely  have  op- 
portunity to  select,  but  must  think  himself  fortunate  whenever  he 
may  find  a  good  impression,  in  good  condition,  even  though  it  be 
not  of  one  of  the  principal  plates  of  the  master. 

Let  any  one  who  would  see  Van  Leyden  in  perfection  beg  a 
sight,  at  the  British  Museum,  of  the  print  of  "  David  Playing  be- 
fore Saul  ;"  but  he  should  be  previously  apprised  that  the  sight  of 
this  most  splendid  impression  will  make  him  dissatisfied  with  every 
print  that  he  is  likely  ever  to  meet  with  by  the  same  master. 

We  now  approach  a  series  of  artists  who,  from  the  diminutive 
size  of  their  works,  are  called  "  The  Little  Masters."  Such  are  : 

ALBERT  ALTDORFER,  whose  works  are  numerous,  both  in  copper 
and  wood,  the  latter  being  the  best,  and  to  these  it  is  said  Hans 
Holbein  was  much  indebted,  and  that  the  style  of  Altdorfer  is  trace- 
able in  the  works  of  this  esteemed  painter. 

BARTHOLOMEW  BEHAM  resided  much  at  Rome,  and,  it  is  said, 
studied  under  Marc  Antonio.  His  prints,  indeed,  evince  something 
of  that  great  artist's  manner. 

HANS  SE*BALD  BEHAM,  brother  of  the  preceding,  is  a  very  vo- 
luminous and  pleasing  engraver,  both  on  copper  and  wood. 

MATTHEW  ZAGEL  dated  his  prints,  and,  but  for  this,  he  is  so 


I36  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

stiff  and  Gothic,  and  so  deficient  in  taste,  drawing,  and  composition, 
that  he  might  be  supposed  earlier  than  Martin  Schoen. 

JAMES  BiNCK,  though  a  pupil  of  Albert  Diirer,  evinces  much  of 
the  Italian  school,  from  having  studied  at  Rome,  and  engraved, 
indeed,  after  Raffaelle. 

VIRGIL  SOLIS  engraved  both  in  wood  and  copper.  He  is  a 
voluminous  artist  ;  he  displays  great  feritlity  of  invention,  his  fig- 
ures are  spirited,  and  his  attitudes  good,  yet  his  drawing  is  generally 
careless  and  incorrect. 

HENRY  ALDEGREVER  is  much  esteemed  for  his  neat  execution, 
expression,  and  propriety  of  composition. 

GREGORY,  or  GEORGE  PEINS,  born  in  150x3,  ranks  among  the 
little  masters,  except  that  he  occasionally  emancipated  himself  from 
them.  He  studied  first  under  Albert  Diirer,  but  afterward  under 
Marc  Antonio,  and  showed,  in  one  or  two  large  prints,  especially 
in  one,  after  Julio  Romano,  representing  a  besieged  town,  that  he 
had  favored  and  acquired  the  higher  taste  of  the  Italian  masters. 

A  family  of  the  name  of  HOPFER,  of  whom  David  is  the  chief, 
flourished  early  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

HANS  SEBALD  LAUTENSACK,  born  in  1508,  engraved  portraits, 
much  esteemed  for  their  truth,  and  also  landscapes,  frequently 
historical. 

THEODORE  DE  BRYE,  born  in  1528,  designed  and  engraved,  very 
prettily,  small  subjects,  full  of  figures,  processions,  and  the  like. 

LUCAS  KILIAN,  born  in  1579,  introduced  a  bolder,  freer  style  : 
he  is  noted  for  his  great  command  of  the  graver. 

GlACOMO  FREY,  born  in  1681,  leaves  a  long  interval,  but 
within  which  is  no  very  important  engraver ;  some  that  might 
have  justly  been  classed  within  this  period,  in  the  German  school, 
have  been  stolen  away,  and  will  appear  in  the  Flemish  and  Dutch. 
Frey  engraved  plates  of  considerable  size,  in  a  masterly  manner, 
and  did  justice  to  some  of  the  finest  works  of  the  greatest  masters. 
Care  is  necessary  in  the  selection  of  a  specimen  of  his  works,  for 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  137 

his  plates  were  mostly  retouched  by  his  son  Philip,  and  very  in- 
judiciously. 

RIDINGER,  born  in  1695,  executed,  to  admiration,  etchings  of 
wild  animals,  in  forest  and  wild  scenery. 

DIETRICI,  born  in  1712,  and  GEORGE  FREDERICK  SCHMIDT, 
born  in  the  same  year,  may  close  our  list  of  the  German  school  : 
the  latter,  at  times,  imitated  the  manner  of  Rembrandt. 

We  must  not,  however,  quit  the  Germans  without  noticing  that 
it  was  with  them  that  the  art  of  engraving  in  mezzotinto  had  its  rise. 
PRINCE  RUPERT,  who  is  ranged  in  the  English  school,  had  long  the 
reputation  of  being  the  inventor  ;  but  this  credit  is  now  ascertained 
to  be  due  to  LUDWIG  VON  SIEGEN,  born  about  1609.  In  the  His- 
tory of  Mezzotinto  Engraving,  published  in  1839,  by  Leon  la 
Borde,  mentioned  in  the  catalogue  of  books,  contained  in  subse- 
quent pages,  is  a  very  curious  document,  being  a  fac-simile  of  a 
letter  from  Count  Siegen  to  "?rince  Rupert,  giving  an  account  of 
his  discovery. 

The  first  mezzotinto  print  published  was  the  portrait  of  "  Amelia 
Landgrave  of  Hesse,"  which  appeared  in  Amsterdam,  in  August, 
1642.  This  department  of  engraving  has  been  chiefly  cultivated 
and  improved  in  England,  and  the  best  specimens  of  it  are  to  be 
found  among  the  artists  of  our  own  country.  This  is  so  generally 
acknowledged  that  Heinecken,  a  great  authority,  has  called  it  "La 
maniere  Anglaise. " 

THE  FLEMISH  AND  DUTCH  SCHOOL. 

The  commencement  of  this  school  does  not  date  so  far  back  as 
the  more  ancient  ones  which  have  been  treated  of.  It  will,  never- 
theless, be  found  to  compensate  for  this  by  producing  a  greater 
abundance  of  intelligent  and  pleasing  artists,  who  claim  to  be  in- 
cluded in  our  catalogue.  We  find  no  one  necessary  to  be  men- 
tioned until  we  arrive  at  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
when  appear  the  Sadelers. 


I38  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

JOHN  SADELER,  born  in  1550,  is  important  as  being  the  founder 
of  a  school,  in  his  family  and  beyond  it  :  they  engraved  subjects, 
landscapes,  and  portraits. 

About  the  same  period,  JOHN  and  JEROME  WlERlNX  engraved 
small  plates,  of  beautifully  minute  and  highly-finished  work. 

The  next  name  of  repute  is  HENRY  GOLTZIUS,  born  in  1558,  a 
voluminous  engraver,  of  manly,  bold  execution,  and  great  effect, 
but  not  without  considerable  faults — affectation,  extravagance,  a 
daring  carelessness,  and  a  neglect  or  ignorance  of  chiaroscuro.  He 
engraved  both  on  copper  and  on  wood.  He  affected  to  undervalue 
the  reputation  of  his  great  predecessors  in  the  art,  and  engraved  a 
series  of  prints,  in  express  imitation  of  their  respective  manners,  in 
order  to  convince  the  world  that  he  could  himself  perform  as  well 
as  any  of  them. 

Goltzius  was  followed  closely  by  pupils  and  imitators.  The 
chief  of  the  former  were  SAENREDAM,  MATHAM,  and  MULLER  ; 
all,  with  much  similarity  of  manner  and  effect,  imitated  their  more 
able  master.  The  works  of  these  engravers  comprise  many  showy 
prints,  easy  to  meet  with,  and  of  small  price. 

To  the  great  RUBENS,  born  in  1577,  are  attributed  a  few  etch- 
ings, on  which,  indeed,  appears  his  name  ;  but  whether  these  were 
altogether  finished  by  himself,  or  whether  his  share  in  them  be 
confined  to  the  sketching  only,  with  the  etching  needle,  may  be 
doubtful. 

PETER  SOUTMAN,  of  the  school  of  Rubens,  engraved  after  this 
master,  and  introduced  the  mixture  of  etching  with  the  burin  with 
much  effect  ;  and  this  practice  was  carried  to  greater  perfection  by 
SUYDERHOOF  and  others. 

CHRISTOPHER  JEGHER  executed,  on  wood,  designs  after  Ru- 
bens, some,  perhaps,  drawn  on  the  block  by  Rubens  himself.  He 
retained  the  strictest  preservation  of  the  characteristic  style  of  this 
master. 

Another  great  name  is  VANDYKE,  born  in  1599.     He  etched  two 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  139 

subjects  only,  but  several  masterly  portraits,  which  were  finished 
by  Vorsterman,  and  other  artists  ;  and  our  collector  should  not  sit 
down  content  with  one  of  the  finished  prints  longer  than  until  he 
can  procure  one  of  the  first  state,  consisting  of  the  simple  etching, 
all  by  Vandyke's  own  hand. 

SCHELTIUS  BOLSWERT  is,  perhaps,  the  most  powerful  engraver, 
for  effect,  that  ever  lived,  and  the  most  faithful  Tenderer  of  the 
style  of  his  original,  which  was  generally  Rubens. 

VORSTERMAN  was  a  contemporary  artist,  of  great  reputation,  as 
was  PAUL  PONTIUS,  both  engraving  chiefly  after  Rubens  and 
Vandyke. 

REMBRANDT.  The  mention  of  the  name  is  sufficient.  His 
works  are,  of  themselves  alone,  a  collection.  The  young  collector 
will,  as  his  taste  improves,  and  as  his  eye  gets  accustomed  to  really 
fine  things,  become,  in  all  probability,  fascinated  with  this  pre-emi- 
nent of  all  artists,  and  will  yield  to  temptation  beyond  his  original 
intention.  He  is  sure  to  acquire  more  and  more  affection  for  an 
artist  of  whom  it  has  been  observed  that  he  worked  with  his  heart 
rather  than  his  hand.  Let  him  do  so,  and  indulge  himself,  but  let 
it  be  leisurely  and  judiciously. 

Meantime  we  must  condescend  to  remember  our  present  im- 
mediate purpose.  With  reference  to  this,  then,  we  would  observe 
that  there  are  many  of  Rembrandt's  prints  of  frequent  occurrence, 
and  of  moderate  price,  if  rare  states  be  not  aspired  to,  and  which 
may,  at  first,  and  during  the  growth  of  the  rest  of  the  collection, 
be  contentedly  accepted  as  affording  sufficient  idea  of  the  style 
and  manner  of  this  inimitable  master. 

The  example  of  Rembrandt  encouraged  the  practice  of  etching, 
and  that  so  exclusively  that  the  chief  artists  of  this  school  form, 
henceforth,  a  class  called  the  "  Dutch  etchers."  These  delight 
much  in  rustic  scenes,  cattle,  and  landscape.  They  form  a  constel- 
lation of  brilliant  stars.  OSTADE  ;  KARL  DU  JARDIN  ;  PAUL 
POTTER  ;  ADRIAN  VAN  DE  VELDE  ;  JOHN  BOTH  ;  WATERLOO  ; 


140  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

SWANEVELT  ;    STOOP  ;   BEGA  ;    FYTT  ;     EVERDINGEN  ;    BERGHEM  ; 

Roos  ;  DE  LAER  ;   DE  ULIEGER  ;  and  one  or  two  of  shipping, 
BACKHUYSEN  ;  ZEEMAN. 

ADRIAN  OSTADE  confined  himself  to  subjects  taken  from  the 
peasantry  of  his  country.  His  figures  are  true  to  nature,  and 
touched  with  such  spirit  that  the  low  life  which  is  represented 
ceases  to  be  offensive.  He  has  a  surprising  talent  of  insulating 
every  figure  ;  detaching  it,  that  is,  from  surrounding  objects.  It 
appears  as  if  one  could  walk  round  about  and  among  the  people 
assembled  in  his  compositions. 

BEGA  is  in  the  same  style  as  to  subject,  but  coarser,  and  with 
less  qualities  to  redeem  vulgarism. 

JOHN  BOTH  etched  landscapes,  of  beautiful  composition,  and 
executed  with  a  delicate  and  light  touch. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  truth  and  perfection  with  which 
WATERLOO  renders  the  foliage  of  trees,  giving  to  each  the  perfect 
character  of  its  species.  A  person  accustomed  to  hang  with  admi- 
ration over  the  delightful  etchings  of  this  artist  will  perpetually,  in 
his  country  drives,  be  reminded  of  this  exquisite  reflector  of  nature  : 
every  little  coppice  which  he  passes,  every  oak  tree,  will  bring  to 
recollection  Waterloo. 

SWANEVELT  had  a  peculiar  mode  of  working,  his  foliage  being 
composed  of  short  horizontal  lines,  which  give  also  a  peculiar 
effect.  A  fanciful  person  might  consider  it  a  soft,  hazy,  or  sultry 
appearance. 

EVERDINGEN  is  remarkable  for  the  infinite  variety  displayed  in 
the  prodigious  number  of  prints  that  he  etched,  representing  the 
scenery  of  a  rocky,  woody  country,  with  picturesque  log-houses, 
mills,  torrents,  etc.  He  also  engraved  fifty-seven  plates  of  "  The 
Life  of  Reynard  the  Fox." 

The  remaining  names  above  enumerated  as  Dutch  etchers  con- 
fined themselves  wholly,  or  in  great  measure,  to  subjects  of 
domestic  animals.  Each  well  deserves  separate  notice,  for  their 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  141 

works  are  nature  itself  ;  but  we  cannot  afford  to  expatiate  too 
largely. 

One  great  name,  as  an  engraver,  must  not  be  omitted — COR- 
NELIUS VISSCHER,  born  in  1610.  Of  him,  the  specimen  to  be 
selected  should  be  one  of  his  prints  after  a  design  of  his  own. 

Our  list  shall  close  with  an  able  artist,  well  known  to  us  by  his 
admirable  portraits  of  his  own  countrymen — HOUBRAKEN. 

THE  FRENCH  SCHOOL. 

The  French  school  commences  with  DUVET,  born  in  1485,  called 
the  "  Master  of  the  Unicorn,"  from  his  frequent  introduction  of 
that  animal  in  his  compositions. 

After  him  there  is  nothing  very  alluring  till  we  come  to  CALLOT, 
born  in  France  in  1593,  but  who,  from  having  studied  at  Rome  and 
Florence,  is  often  classed  in  the  Italian  school,  in  which  he  has  been 
already  noticed. 

The  little  landscapes  ot  CLAUDE  LORRAINE  are  perfectly  char- 
acteristic of  him,  and  worthy  of  his  hand. 

CLAUDE  MELLAN,  born  in  1601,  is  remarkable  for  a  quaint  pe- 
culiarity of  style.  He  generally  used  a  single  line  only,  not  cross- 
ing it  ;  and  a  fantastical1,  but  able  print,  by  him,  is  the  "  Sudarium," 
of  large  size,  performed  with  one  single  continuous  line,  beginning  in 
the  centre  of  the  tip  of  the  nose,  and  circling  thence,  in  a  spiral,  to 
the  extremities  of  the  plate,  the  shadows  being  produced  by  the 
occasional  thickening  of  the  one  same  line. 

JEAN  MORIN,  born  about  1612,  adopted  a  peculiar  manner,  mix- 
ing lines  and  dots,  which  he  endeavored  to  harmonize  with  each 
other. 

BORGONONI,  the  battle  painter,  produced  a  few  etchings  of  like 
subjects,  very  free  and  spirited,  and  at  the  same  time  broad  and 
masterly. 

FRANCIS  POILLY,  born  in  1622,  the  head  of  a  family  of  engravers 
of  that  name,  executed  many  fine  prints,  and  was,  perhaps,  the 


142  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

best  handler  of  the  graver  that  had  appeared  in  France  up  to  that 
period.  His  plates  are  numerous,  and  after  various  masters,  in- 
cluding Raffaelle  and  Guido. 

The  French  school,  however,  produced  very  little  above  medioc- 
rity until  the  appearance  of  ROBERT  NANTEUIL,  born  in  1630. 
His  finest  works  are  his  portraits,  some  of  which  are  the  size  of 
life,  or  nearly  so.  Two  or  three  specimens,  or  even  more,  of  this 
very  eminent  and  admirable  engraver  may  well  be  afforded  ;  and 
these  should  be  selected  from  works  executed  at  distant  periods  of 
his  career,  because  this  artist  affords,  and  which  is  not  common,  a 
good  example  of  a  persevering  progress  toward  improvement,  and 
of  the  adoption  of  various  experiments  in  the  pursuit  of  it. 

Contemporary  with  Nanteuil  arose  the  family  of  the  Audrans, 
of  whom  GERARD  AUDRAN  is  the  chief.  He  it  was  who  first  showed 
to  the  world  what  could  be  effected  by  the  united  powers  of  etch- 
ing, mingled  with  the  burin,  in  the  production  of  grand  historical 
subjects,  in  a  style  broad,  original,  comprehensive.  His  prints  are 
numerous  ;  and  the  only  difficulty  may  be  to  select  specimens 
which  shall  sufficiently  exhibit  his  full  power,  and  yet  lie  within 
the  dimensions  of  a  moderate-sized  portfolio. 

Without  dwelling  on  the  PlCARTS,  laborious  and  entertaining 
artists,  or  on  PlTAU,  a  pupil  of  Poilly,  we  pass  on  to  anothej  en- 
graver, of  consummate  excellence,  GERARD  EDELIXCK.  Although 
he  had  the  example  before  him  of  the  admirable  effect  produced 
by  Audran's  method  of  working,  he,  nevertheless,  chose  to  confine 
himself  to  the  burin  alone,  without  the  admixture  of  etching.  So 
free  were  these  great  contemporaries  from  jealousy  of  one  another 
that  one  of  Edelinck's  finest  prints,  "Alexander  in  the  Tent  of 
Darius,"  was  engraved  in  consequence  of  Audran's  recommending 
him  to  Le  Brun,  the  painter,  as  the  engraver  best  competent  to 
the  work. 

Nothing  can  exceed  the  freedom  and  delicacy  with  which 
Edelinck  handled  his  favored  tool.  Some  connoisseurs  fancy  that 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  143 

a  little  mixture  of  etching  would  have  given  more  force,  so  that 
delicacy  and  softness  would  have  been  less  predominant  qualities  ; 
and  some  also  affect  to  see,  in  several  of  Edelinck's  prints,  a  ten- 
dency to  the  quality  which,  in  modern  French  engravers,  has  been, 
and  with  sufficient  meaning,  termed  metallic. 

ANTHONY  MASSON,  of  the  same  period,  having  been  brought  up 
to  the  engraving  of  ornamented  gun-barrels,  had  acquired,  by  the 
habit  of  working  in  this  harder  metal,  such  command  of  the  graver 
that,  when  he  turned  to  copper,  he  playqd  with  his  tool  as  with  a 
pencil.  This  enabled  him  to  produce  works  that  astonished  the 
world,  but  led  him,  at  the  same  time,  to  exuberate,  capriciously, 
in  eccentricities  and  vagaries,  as  if  to  show,  in  triumph,  what  he 
could  do.  Apart  from  these  conjuring  tricks,  however,  he  is  a  most 
beautiful  artist.  He  expresses  the  texture  of  substances  with  won- 
derful truth,  not  only  in  the  subordinate  adjuncts  of  ermines,  lace, 
etc.,  but  also  in  the  hair,  flesh,  the  eye,  etc. 

The  two  BREVETS,  father  and  son,  especially  the  latter,  carried 
to  perhaps  still  higher  perfection  this  accurate  rendering  of  the 
texture  of  inanimate  substances,  luxuriating  in  furs,  lawn,  velvet, 
lace,  and  also  bronze,  carved  wood,  books,  etc.,  to  a  degree  ex- 
citing, indeed,  much  admiration,  but  at  the  same  time  tending  to 
draw  down  on  their  school  the  censure  of  frippery  and  flutter.  The 
portraits  of  "  Bossuet  "  and  of  "  Bernard,"  the  finest  of  Brevet's 
works,  fully  exhibit  these  characteristics. 

Following  in  the  same  line,  of  what  some  consider  minute  over- 
laboring, came  JOHN  GEORGE  WlLLE,  a  German  by  birth,  an  en- 
graver of  great  popularity  ;  and  if  clearness  and  beauty  of  mechani- 
cal work  be  high  excellence,  and  which  they  certainly  are,  Wille 
well  deserves  all  his  reputation  ;  but  he  does  not  stand  in  so  high 
esteem  with  those  connoisseurs  who  require  more  important  and 
intellectual  qualities.  The  Death  of  Cleopatra  is  a  fine  subject  for 
a  painter  of  feeling  and  intellect.  Wille  engraved  that  subject,  but 
it  was  after  a  picture  by  Netscher,  a  minute  painter,  of  kindred 


144  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

taste  to  himself  ;  and  when  the  superlative  excellence  of  this  justly- 
admired  specimen  of  Wille's  abilities  is  pointed  out  by  his  admirers, 
they  ever  direct  our  attention  to  the  inimitable  white  satin  dress  of 
Cleopatra. 

THE   ENGLISH   SCHOOL. 

There  remains  only  the  school  of  our  own  country.  The  earliest 
copper-plate  engraver  who,  with  certainty,  belongs  to  us,  is  THOMAS 
GEMINUS.  He  executed,  in  1545,  the  frontispiece  to  "  Vesalius's 
Anatomy,"  an  outline  design  of  ornamental  work. 

REMIGIUS  HOGENBERG  ranks  in  this  school,  though  bearing  a 
foreign  name,  his  principal  print  being  the  portrait  of  "  Archbishop 
Parker." 

The  family  of  PASSE  introduced  a  more  neat  and  elaborate  style 
than  had  before  been  practised  in  England.  Their  portraits  are 
generally  drawn  from  the  life,  and  have  all  the  appearance  of 
being  so. 

WENCESLAUS  HOLLAR,  born  in  1667,  is  another  artist  of  foreign 
name,  but  it  is  only  by  birth  that  he  belongs  to  the  Germans  :  in 
all  other  respects  he  is  English.  He  is  exceedingly  voluminous, 
and  exceedingly  various  ;  portraits,  subjects,  landscapes,  buildings, 
figures,  costumes,  animals,  insects,  muffs,  furs,  etc. 

About  twenty  years  later  appeared  WILLIAM  FAITHORNE,  whose 
portraits  are  greatly  esteemed  ;  he  is  one  of  the  most  eminent  en- 
gravers of  the  English  school.  We  may  mention,  also,  DAVID 
LOGGAN  and  ROBERT  WHITE. 

SIR  NICOLAS  DORIGNY,  a  Frenchman  by  birth,  but  claimed  by 
the  English  school  (and  our  poverty,  at  this  period,  makes  us  glad 
to  claim  him),  is  best  known  to  us  by  his  engravings  of  the  "  Car- 
toons," and  the  "  Transfiguration,"  of  Raffaelle.  He  came  over  to 
England  for  the  express  purpose  of  executing  the  Cartoons,  and  at 
an  advanced  period  of  life. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  145 

VERTUE,  born  in  1684,  is  but  little  above  a  number  of  engravers 
whom  we  do  not  think  worthy  of  mention. 

He,  of  whom  England  may  well  be  proud,  is  the  very  original 
WILLIAM  HOGARTH,  who  is  too  well  known  to  need  any  detailed 
notice.  It  is  as  a  painter,  or,  rather,  as  a  designer  and  composer, 
that  he  is  excellent  ;  but  as  several  of  the  plates  from  his  pictures 
were  engraved  by  himself,  our  art  justly  derives  credit  from 
him. 

SIR  ROBERT  STRANGE,  born  in  1721,  and  WILLIAM  WOOLLETT, 
born  in  1735,  are  perhaps  the  finest  engravers,  the  one  of  subjects 
and  the  other  of  landscapes,  that  the  English  school  has  ever  pro- 
duced ;  and,  in  some  of  their  qualities,  they  equal,  indeed,  any 
artist  of  any  school. 

BARTOLOZZI  is  well  known  by  the  great  multitude  of  his  prints, 
executed  in  a  very  pleasing  style  ;  and  his  larger  works,  such  as  the 
"  Clytie,"  show  that  he  had  great  ability.  Perhaps  no  artist  has 
rendered  the  fleshiness  of  the  naked  figure  better  than  Strange  or 
Bartolozzi. 

The  chief  mezzotinto  engravers  of  whom  we  boast,  and  in 
which  line  of  art,  as  has  already  been  observed,  the  English  school 
stands  pre-eminent,  are  M'ARDEL  and  EARLOM. 

We  should  like  to  add  to  our  list  of  English  engravers  WILLIAM 
SHARP  ;  but  we  are  already  descending  to  names  which  are  per- 
haps rather  too  modern.  We  will  close  with  an  anecdote. 

William  Sharp,  when  at  Rome,  visited  Raphael  Morghen,  then 
of  great  age.  The  venerable  Italian,  after  exhibiting  to  our  coun- 
tryman his  choice,  reserved  proofs  of  his  numerous  fine  engravings, 
at  last  exclaimed,  "  And  now,  Mr.  Sharp,  I  will  show  you  a  print 
which  is  equal  to  any  thing  I  ever  did  in  my  life  ;"  and  so  saying, 
he  drew  from  his  portfolio  Sharp's  own  engraving  of  the  "  Doctors 
of  the  Church,  after  Guido."  The  Englishman  was,  of  course, 
highly  flattered  and  delighted  with  this  compliment  ;  and  when, 
on  his  return,  he  related  the  story,  he  added,  with  a  vanity  not  al- 


146  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

together  inexcusable,  "  And,  indeed,  the  old  man  was  not  far  from 
right." 

We  have  now  finished  what  we  would  suggest  to  the  young  col- 
lector as  a  catalogue  within  which,  at  first,  to  confine  himself ; 
and  having  divided  it  into  schools,  he  has  the  opportunity  of  still 
further  limiting  himself,  if  he  please,  to  one  or  other  of  these,  to 
the  exclusion  of  the  rest.  It  would  be  vain  to  affect  to  tell  him 
what  his  outlay  would  be  in  the  attainment  of  a  little  collection, 
such  as  here  contemplated,  because  we  have  not  confined  him  to 
any  number  of  specimens.  He  may  be  inclined  to  extend  his  sam- 
ples of  some  artist,  who  may  greatly  attract  his  taste,  to  the  number 
of  ten,  twenty,  or  more  ;  and  the  question  of  greater  or  less  amount 
of  expenditure  will  much  depend  on  who  these  more  favored 
artists  may  happen  to  be.  This,  however,  he  may  venture  to  as- 
sume, that  a  very  respectable  collection  of  prints,  by  the  artists 
whom  we  have  catalogued,  embracing  one,  two,  or  three  samples  of 
each,  sufficient  to  show  their  varieties  of  style  and  modes  of  work- 
ing, may  be  obtained  for  a  less  sum  than  that  at  which  Mr.  Christie 
shall,  now  and  then,  knock  down  some  one  little  choice  picture  of 
two  feet  square. 

Adhering  to  the  systematic  mode  of  collecting  that  has  been 
recommended,  there  is  little  apprehension  that  the  young  collector 
will — by  injudicious  purchases,  by  amassing  things  that,  as  he 
grows  wiser,  he  repents  having  got,  or  by  other  accidents  incident 
to  proceeding  in  the  dark — become  disgusted  with  the  occupation. 
On  the  contrary,  he  will  ever  be  able,  as  he  progresses,  to  look  back 
with  satisfaction  on  his  acquisitions,  and  feel  a  continually  growing 
love  of  his  pursuit,  and  a  continually  increasing  attachment  to  its 
objects.  He  will,  by  degrees,  discover  what  artists  best  suit  his 
fancy  ;  he  will  perhaps  find  some  so  attractive  that  he  will  not 
be  able  to  resist  the  extending  his  collection  of  their  works  be- 
yond the  few  samples  he  contemplated  at  his  setting  out,  and  there 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  147 

may  prove  to  be  some  whose  complete  works  he  will  endeavor  to 
compass. 

During  his  progress,  also,  in  working  upon  the  catalogue  nere 
placed  before  him,  he  will  be  continually  meeting  with  prints  by 
artists  who  have  not  been  named,  and,  as  to  several  of  whom,  he 
will  begin  to  doubt  why  they  should  not  have  been  included  in  the 
list  of  recommendation.  We  would  not  attempt  to  put  close  re- 
straint on  this  excursive  disposition,  but  only  suggest  that  it  should 
not  be  indulged,  until  practice,  under  tutorage,  shall  have  conferred 
sufficient  experience  and  judgment  to  justify  the  discarding  of  the 
leading  strings. 

A  collector  should  never  be  impatient  ;  he  should  make  his  pur- 
suit an  occupation  rather  than  a  longing  ;  he  should  be  content  to 
wait  opportunity  ;  and  he  must  have  courage  to  seize  opportunity 
when  offered.  This  last  observation,  however,  need  not  be  under- 
stood as  applying  to  a  beginner,  but  to  the  experienced  only  :  it 
refers  to  things  with  which  he  would  not  meddle  in  his  early  days. 
It  is  time  enough,  when  a  collection  has  acquired  a  respectable 
bulk,  to  look  out  for  a  few  very  choice  and  rare  specimens. 

Prints  there  are,  but  not  often  seen,  that,  of  themselves  singly, 
give  a  value  to  a  collection,  and  lift  it  above  the  average.  Some 
three  or  four  of  such  are  ever  desirable  to  crown  a  collection,  and 
give  importance  to  it  ;  but  these  are  not  to  be  had  at  a  call.  One 
or  other  may  appear  in  the  market  in  the  course  of  a  twelvemonth, 
some  not  for  many  years  ;  they  never  lack  a  ready  customer.  It 
may  be  a  favor,  if  such  are  for  private  sale,  to  be  allowed  the  re- 
fusal ;  and  printsellers  always  give  such  refusal  to  their  best  cus- 
tomers, and  occasionally  give  offence  to  others'  by  obliging  one. 

It  is  superfluous  to  observe  that  the  price  which  these  bear  is 
such  as  to  narrow  competition  for  them.  We  could  name,  from  our 
own  cabinet,  some  half  dozen  of  prints  of  this  high  class  which 
would  alone  purchase  the  whole  of  such  a  collection  as  we  are 
advising  our  beginner  to  be,  during  his  pupilage,  content  with  ; 


148  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

but  these  were  not  added  to  our  portfolio  till  late  in  the  day — till 
the  collection  became,  in  fact,  worthy  of  them.  That  collection, 
though  by  no  means  extensive,  has  been  years  in  forming,  years 
more  in  improving,  and  is  looking  upward  for  further  improve- 
ment, as  time  goes  on  and  opportunities  arise  :  and  these  years 
have  all  been  years  of  enjoyment,  without,  on  the  one  hand,  any 
painful  craving,  and  without,  on  the  other  hand,  any  sensation, 
at  any  time,  of  satiety  ;  and  the  total  outlay,  spread  over  so  long 
and  pleasurable  a  period,  has  not  been  more  than  what  any  person, 
in  tolerably  easy  circumstances,  may  well  be  justified  in  laying  out, 
on  so  rational  a  pursuit,  without  any  feeling  of  self-reproach  or 
repentance. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   OLD   AND   NEW   SYSTEMS. 

THE  observation  which  closed  the  last  chapter  suggests  the  ques- 
tion, how  far  the  outlay  submitted  to,  in  judiciously  forming  a  col- 
lection of  ancient  prints,  must  be  considered  as  money  sunk,  or  to 
what  extent  it  may  be  regarded  in  the  nature  of  investment  only, 
capable  of  being  again  realized,  if  circumstances  should  require  it. 

The  difference,  with  respect  to  price,  between  buying  and 
selling,  by  persons  not  being  dealers,  is  proverbial  ;  and  there  is  no 
reason  to  flatter  ourselves  that  an  experiment,  tried  on  a  miscella- 
neous collection  of  ordinary  prints,  would  produce  any  exception 
to  the  truth  of  this  adage.  But  it  has  been  shown  how  greatly 
prints  of  a  high  class  have  increased  in  value.  The  rise  has  been 
such,  indeed,  as  to  justify  an  expectation  that  a  collection,  having 
a  tolerable  proportion  of  such  specimens,  might,  by  the  advance  in 
these,  be  compensated  for  the  loss  which  must  be  necessarily  sus- 
tained on  the  mass.  But  the  proprietor  must  not  indulge  so  mer- 
cantile a  spirit,  or  be  so  close  an  economist,  as  to  expect  interest 
for  his  money.  He  must  consider  that  he  has  been  all  along  re- 


15°  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

ceiving  interest,  in  the  shape  of  pleasure  afforded  to  him,  by  tlie 
•enjoyment  of  his  possessions. 

The  question  which,  under  these  circumstances,  the  incipient 
collector  will  be  desirous  to  have  answered  is,  whether  there  be  a 
reasonable  ground  to  expect  that  ancient  prints  will  continue  to 
rise  in  value,  or  even  maintain  their  present  prices  ;  or  whether 
there  be  not  ground  to  apprehend  that  they  may  be  so  excelled  by 
modern  improvement  in  art  as  to  cease,  by  degrees,  to  be  held  in 
estimation. 

There  is  no  question  that  if  any  given  number  of  persons,  not 
being  artists  or  connoisseurs,  and  who  have  never  been  accustomed 
to  ancient  art,  but  to  whom  the  shops,  or,  rather,  splendid  galleries, 
of  our  modern  print  publishers  are  familiar,  were  invited  to  look 
through  a  folio  of  prints,  even  of  the  finest  class,  executed  during 
the  first  two  centuries  after  the  invention  of  the  art,  they  would, 
nine  out  of  ten  at  least,  entertain  a  very  mean  opinion  of  them, 
compared  with  the  magnificent  framed  and  glazed  glories  to  which 
their  admiration  had  previously  been  directed.  It  must  further  be 
admitted  that  it  follows,  from  thence,  that  if  the  finest  ancient 
print  existing  were,  at  this  day,  first  published,  it  would  find  but 
few  purchasers. 

Notwithstanding  this,  we  are  fully  inclined  to  believe  that  these 
ancient  works  will  not  only  maintain  their  credit,  but  continue  to 
rise,  as  they  have  done,  more  and  more  in  value. 

This  expectation  is  grounded  on  several  considerations.  First, 
their  intrinsic  excellence,  which  is  visible  enough  to  men  of  taste 
and  judgment,  though  it  may  not  be  so  to  the  multitude,  but 
which  will,  naturally,  be  more  and  more  generally  appreciated  as 
taste  and  judgment  improve.  Secondly,  their  scarcity,  from  which 
it  follows  that  a  very  few  buyers  are  sufficient  to  keep  up  the  price 
of  them,  and  which  scarcity  must  increase  more  and  more,  from 
several  causes,  such  as  the  casualties  to  which  such  things  are 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  151 

liable,  their  wider  dissemination,  and  the  occasional  withdrawal  of 
them  into  permanent  depositories. 

This  last  cause  of  scarcity  threatens  to  operate  very  powerfully. 
National  collections  are  now  forming  by  governments  who  never, 
till  lately,  turned  their  attention  to  the  subject  ;  and,  again,  in 
those  States  which  have  of  old  had  depositories,  great  activity  and 
interest  have,  of  late  years,  succeeded  a  long  course  of  apathy  and 
indifference.  The  national  collection  of  Berlin,  now  rising  into  no- 
toriety, more  from  the  energy  displaying  in  the  formation  of  it 
than  from  the  number  or  importance  of  its  acquirements  in  its  yet 
infant  state,  had  no  existence  seven  years  ago.  Our  own  govern- 
ment has,  for  some  time  past,  exercised  a  much  greater  liberality 
than  heretofore,  as  is  witnessed  by  the  purchases,  not  long  since 
made,  from  the  Sheepshanks  and  Harding  collections,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  an  unequalled  entire  set  of  Raffaelle  Morghen's  engravings. 
A  similar  observation  is  applicable,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  to 
the  royal  or  national  collections  of  Paris,  Vienna,  Amsterdam, 
Dresden,  Munich. 

It  appears  by  the  "  Notice  des  Estampes  exposes  a  la  Biblio- 
theque  Royale,"  and  which  is  professed  to  comprise  such  of  the 
prints  of  that  collection  as  are  "  les  plus  curieuses  par  leur  an- 
ciennet6,  leur  raret6,  ou  leur  beaut6,"  that,  of  the  first  one  hundred 
articles  of  that  catalogue,  and  which  include  the  whole  of  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  one  third  part  has  been  acquired 
since  the  year  1800  ;  yet  we  know  that  the  collection  was  founded 
as  early  as  1667.  It  is  natural  to  expect  that  other  countries  will 
follow  in  this  train,  and  that  the  example  may  extend  to  States 
across  the  Atlantic. 

The  third  and  last  circumstance  to  be  noticed  as  conspiring  to 
uphold  in  estimation  prints  executed  during  the  early  periods  is  a 
certain  security,  which  they  seem  to  enjoy,  against  any  rivalship  in 
those  qualities  in  which  their  excellence  mainly  consists.  This  last 
remark  calls  for  some  explanation. 


152  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

In  points  which  are  subordinate,  the  art  of  engraving  has,  in  its 
progress,  made  great  advances.  Until  the  days  of  Masson  and  the 
Brevets,  the  texture  of  substances  was  never  rendered  with  the  re- 
dundant refinement  which  public  taste  has,  since  that  period,  ad- 
mired. Sir  Robert  Strange  expressed  flesh  better,  perhaps,  than 
any  engraver  who  preceded  him  ;  similar  credit  is  due  to  Bartolozzi  ; 
and  Woollett  may  be  cited  for  kindred  excellencies.  But  it  is  to 
the  higher  qualities  that  we  mean  our  observation  to  apply — drawing, 
simplicity  of  means,  intellectual  effect. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  we  entertain  an  unworthy  opinion 
of  modern  ability  ;  on  the  contrary,  we  are  willing  to  believe  that 
there  may  be  engravers,  of  our  own  time,  and  in  our  own  country, 
who  are  capable,  or  at  least  might  make  themselves  capable,  of  exe- 
cuting works  equal  to  any  that  ancient  art  can  show.  We  are  not 
inclined  to  engage  in  the  invidious  task  of  drawing  comparisons 
between  the  ancients  and  the  moderns  ;  we  are  merely  desirous  to 
notice,  so  far  as  illustration  of  our  subject  requires,  some  of  the 
characteristic  peculiarities  of  each,  and  to  contrast  the  system  and 
circumstances  under  which  the  works  of  the  old  school  were  pro- 
duced, with  the  circumstances  and  system  that  exist  and  prevail 
now. 

To  prevent  being  misunderstood,  we  beg  to  premise  that  when, 
on  the  present  occasion,  we  contrast  the  ancient  school  and  modern 
system,  we  do  not  mean  to  be  governed  by  any  such  defined  line, 
as  we  have,  in  a  former  page,  proposed  to  draw,  as 'separating  the 
ancients  from  the  moderns,  for  the  purpose  of  classing  a  collection. 
We  mean  the  description,  which  we  shall  presently  give,  of  the 
ancient  practice,  to  be  considered  as  applying,  not  to  all  artists,  of 
all  countries,  who  happened  to  live  before  a  certain  aera,  but  only 
to  the  best  artists,  of  the  best  periods  of  art — to  those  artists,  in 
short,  by  whom  were  produced  the  works  which  give  rise  to  our 
discussion,  the  works  which  we  consider  to  be  secure  from  rivalry. 

A  still  further  distinction  is  necessary  to  be  drawn  with  respect 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  153 

to  the  modern  system.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  we  are  not 
taking  upon  ourselves  to  show  that  art  has  declined,  either  gen- 
erally or  in  any  particular  qualities  ;  nor  to  account  for  any  such 
decline,  if  such  there  be.  Our  object  has  not  reference  to  the 
present  state  of  art,  but  to  its  prospects  only  :  to  show  whatever 
the  state  of  art  may  be  at  present  ;  and  without  stopping  to  inquire 
whether  it  be  a  high  state  or  low  state,  that  the  system  now  pre- 
vailing is  adverse  to  its  improvement.  It  is  not,  therefore,  the 
history  and  causes  of  any  declension  that  we  are  called  to  enter 
upon,  but  simply  to  describe  the  system  in  operation  at  the  present 
day.  The  origin  of  that  system  may  be  incidentally  referred  to, 
but  not  with  any  intent  of  inferring  that,  up  to  the  time  of  that 
origin,  art  was  everywhere  improving ;  and  that,  from  that  period, 
art  has  been  everywhere  declining.  There  is  no  such  turn  to  be  ob- 
served. Various  causes  for  fluctuations  in  art,  some  for  good,  some 
for  bad,  some  in  one  country,  some  in  another,  some  at  one  time, 
some  at  another  time,  have  been  occasionally  operating.  Some, 
indeed,  of  the  same  causes  that  appear  as  the  effects  of  the  system 
complained  of  may  have  been  in  action  previous  to  its  rise,  and 
have  been  not  altogether  created  by  it,  but  only  confirmed  and 
strengthened  and  made  irremovable. 

Again  :  the  modern  system,  which  we  are  about  to  describe,  is 
that  which  we  see  under  our  own  eyes,  in  our  own  country  ;  but  the 
ancient  practice,  with  which  we  purpose  to  contrast  it,  was  the  sys- 
tem of  other  countries  chiefly,  and  the  period  when  it  was  most 
perfect,  or  most  general,  was  antecedent  to  the  existence  of  an  Eng- 
lish school  at  all,  or  of  any  importance.  We  understand,  however, 
and  the  conclusions  which  we  draw  proceed  upon  the  assumption, 
that  the  modern  system  is  not  local,  merely  confined  to  England, 
but  has  become  universal. 

We  have  thought  it  necessary  to  make  these  preparatory  obser- 
vations, for  we  foresee  that,  without  such  explanation,  there  is  risk 
of  misconception.  Suffice  it,  then,  as  a  general  declaration  of  our 


154  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

purport,  that  we  merely  mean  to  describe  a  system,  no  matter  when 
or  where  existing,  by  which  works  of  a  certain  description  were 
produced  ;  and  to  describe  another  system  by  which,  as  we  con- 
ceive, similar  works  cannot  be  produced. 

We  now  return  to  our  subject. 

A  professional  lecturer  on  his  own  art,  engraving,  with  a  feeling 
of  deep  indignation  observes  that  up  to  the  period  when  the  great 
mercantile  patron,  Alderman  Boydell,  unable  to  support  his  own 
reputation  as  an  engraver,  turned  to  dealing  in  the  publications  of 
others,  engravers  had  been,  themselves,  their  own  publishers  of 
their  own  works,  as  Raphael  Morghen,  Bervic,  and  others,  in  Italy 
and  France,  continued  to  be  till  a  much  later  period,  "each,"  says 
Mr.  John  Landseer,  "  employing  himself,  for  the  most  part,  accord- 
ing to  the  natural  bent  of  his  own  genius,  uncurbed,  or  but  little 
curbed,  by  mercantile  restraints  and  ignorant  dictations,  and  not 
compelled  to  labor  against  time,  who  is  always  sure  to  prove  victo- 
rious." 

Good  intent  ought  not  to  be  blamed  for  consequences  which  it 
could  not  foresee.  The  Alderman  has  had  the  credit  of  having  been 
actuated  by  a  purely  laudable,  and  not  a  mercenary,  motive  ;  his 
great  liberality  to  Woollett  and  others  is  sufficient  protection  to 
his  character  in  this  respect.  If  his  original  motive  had  any  baser 
mixture,  it  was  perhaps  the  vanity  of  patronage,  rather  than  com- 
mercial speculation.  The  latter,  however,  if  not  in  his  own  time, 
yet  speedily  after,  became  the  ruling  passion,  and  has  continued  to 
be  exclusively  and  undisguisedly  so  ever  since. 

The  followers  and  improvers  of  the  new  line  of  trade  which  Boy- 
dell  chalked  out  hold,  in  great  measure,  in  their  hands  the  reputa- 
tions and  fortunes  of  the  engravers.  The  latter  can  never  enter 
the  presence-chamber  without  the  patronage  of  these  gentlemen- 
ushers.  These,  nowadays,  and  not  himself,  influence  the  public 
mind,  and,  unfortunately,  their  interest  requires  that  they  pander 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  155 

to  the  prevailing  taste,  rather  than  attempt  to  correct  it,  or  create 
a  better. 

It  has  become  perfectly  hopeless  for  an  engraver  to  attempt  to 
be  his  own  publisher.  We  believe  that  this  has  been  tried,  not 
only  by  a  single  individual,  but  also  by  several  engravers,  asso- 
ciated together  ;  but  it  is  understood  that  these  experiments,  even 
though  assisted,  in  the  latter  case,  by  amateur  liberality,  and 
submitting  to  a  sacrifice,  for  the  sake  of  offering  a  handsome 
premium  to  printsellers,  were  not  found  to  answer.  An  article 
offered  to  the  public  must  be  forced  into  public  notice  ;  and  this  can 
only  be  done  through  the  medium  of  the  class  whose  trade  this  is. 
The  print  publishers  cannot  only  force  into  notice  whatever  may 
best  answer  their  purpose,  independent,  in  great  measure,  of  in- 
trinsic merit,  but  they  have  also,  unitedly,  a  power  to  repress 
which  no  merit  can  stand  up  against.  They  are  also  the  best  judges 
of  v:hat  subjects  will  be  popular,  and  they  command  all  the  capital 
embarked  in  print  speculations. 

Hence  it  arises  that,  of  many  of  the  most  important  prints, 
they  are  the  originators.  In  these  cases  they  either  purchase,  or 
obtain  permission  to  have  engraved,  a  picture  already  painted,  or 
they  employ  a  painter  to  paint  a  picture  for  the  express  purpose  of 
being  engraved.  In  the  latter  case,  they  dictate  the  subject  ;  per- 
haps, also,  the  mode  of  treating  it,  both  being  in  entire  subser- 
viency to  what  they  know  to  be  most  likely  to  attract  subscriptions  ; 
such,  for  instance,  are  several  prints  that  have  appeared  in  the 
present  reign,  involving,  but  with  a  very  obvious  policy,  what  Allan 
Cunningham  has  called  all  the  difficulties  of  portraiture  and  pre- 
cedence.. The  public  are  not  indisposed  to  pay  handsomely,  pro- 
vided they  have,  for  their  money,  a  fine,  showy  thing,  of  elaborate 
execution.  The  most  popular  prints,  therefore,  which  have  been 
published  of  late  years  are  of  exceedingly  large  size,  but  are,  never- 
theless, wholly  filled  with  work,  great  part  of  which  is  of  the  most 
minute  and  labored  description.  The  publisher  is,  naturally,  im- 


156  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

patient  to  begin  to  realize  ;  the  engraver  must,   therefore,   work 
against  time. 

The  requisites  for  producing  .a  plate  of  this  sort,  and  in  the  style 
now  in  use,  are  manual  dexterity  and  immense  labor,  rather  than 
talent  ;  for  talent  is  shown,  not  in  multiplying  and  complicating 
the  means,  but  in  simplifying  them,  and  in  producing  the  greatest 
effect  in  the  easiest  and  most  intelligible  manner,  and  with  least 
apparent  effort.  Labor,  therefore,  of  the  description  which  is  em- 
ployed in  the  works  in  question  admits  of  being  subdivided  in  the 
same  manner  as  is  practised  in  all  other  manufactories.  The  print 
is,  in  truth,  not  a  work  of  individual  art,  but  a  manufacture. 

It  is  well  understood  that  the  engraver,  when  set  his  task,  and 
his  day,  is  at  liberty  to  employ  what  aids  he  pleases  ;  he  may  do  as 
little  with  his  own  hand  as  is  indispensable  to  his  reputation, 
measured  by  the  modern  standard  of  reputation.  It  is  not  incon- 
sistent with  this  that  he  should,  and  it  is  anticipated  that  he  will, 
delegate  to  inferior  agents  every  part  of  the  plate  that  can,  with  any 
degree  of  safety,  be  entrusted  to  subordinate  auxiliaries.  Engineers 
come  to  his  assistance,  for  machines  have  been  invented  for  per- 
forming portions  of  his  work,  substituting  for  the  freedom  of  the 
skilful  hand  of  man  the  hard  rigidity  of  a  finger  of  iron.  The 
drawing,  from  the  original  painting,  he  may  make  himself,  or  he 
may  have  it  made  by  another  ;  have  it  made  by  a  good  draughts- 
man, or  by  one  who  can  scarce  draw  at  all.  The  time  and  trouble 
and  talent  necessary  for  making  an  artist-like  copy  may  be  dis- 
pensed with.  The  drawing  is  invariably  effected  by  reducing  the 
original,  and  the  paper  on  which  the  copy  is  to  be  made,  into  cor- 
responding squares,  a  method  which  has,  for  ages,  indeed,  been  - 
practised  by  artists  of  all  ranks  ;  nor  is  it  objectionable,  when 
limited  to  the  extent  to  which  it  was  formerly  restricted  :  it  was 
used  for  no  further  purpose  than  to  get  things  into  their  places,  to 
serve,  therefore,  as  a  preparative  for  the  drawing.  But  there  is 
temptation,  and  which  is  too  often  yielded  to,  to  make  it  a  substi- 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  i57 

tute  for  it  ;  and  if  this  be  found  sufficient  to  answer  the  purpose, 
why  need  an  engraver  study  drawing  ?  Provided  the  person  under- 
taking the  engraving  do  but  produce  the  finished  plate  by  the  time 
advertised,  and  be  godfather  to  the  manufacture,  and,  above  all, 
provided  he  take  care  that  the  engraving  be  strong  enough  to  yield 
plenty  of  impressions,  the  object  is  answered,  and  his  employer  sat- 
isfied. 

Under  such  a  system  as  this  an  engraver,  with  real  love  for  his 
art,  and  well  educated  in  it,  and  with  ambition  to  excel  in  it,  cannot 
but  feel  that  he  is  placed  in  a  degrading  position.  He  cannot  but 
feel  that  he  is,  at  best,  but  a  foreman,  working  under  a  master,  to 
whose  control  his  own  superior  judgment  and  taste  are  compelled 
to  submit,  as  is  exemplified  in  the  anecdote  already  related  of 
Muller  and  Rittner  ;  that  he  is  the  foreman  over  subordinates,  of 
whom  he  has  often  cause  to  be  ashamed.  It  is  related  in  a  book, 
lately  printed,  but  privately  only,  and  not  published,  that  Barto- 
lozzi,  having  engaged  to  engrave  Copley's  picture  of  the  "  Death 
of  the  Earl  of  Chatham,"  for  which  he  was  to  receive  ^2000,  ex- 
pended a  sum  of  nearly  that  amount  in  assistance,  and  which 
proved,  for  the  most  part,  worse  than  none. 

The  first  process  toward  engraving  a  plate,  according  to  the 
most  usual  practice  at  present,  is  to  etch  the  subject.  A  number 
of  impressions  are  taken  from  the  etching  ;  but  these  are  generally 
for  distribution  to  the  trade  as  specimens  rather  than  with  a  view 
to  sale.  The  engraving  is  then  proceeded  with,  and.  when  finished, 
all  but  the  inscription  at  foot,  a  number  of  impressions  are  taken 
off,  which  are  called  proofs  before  letters.  The  inscription  is  then 
added,  in  faint,  open  letters,' and  a  further  number  of  impressions 
are  printed.  After  this,  the  letters  are  strengthened  and  filled  in, 
and  the  remaining  impressions  are  then  taken.  Whatever  the  price 
of  the  print  from  the  fully-finished  plate  may  be,  the  first  proofs  are 
frequently  charged  at  treble,  and  the  open-letter  proofs  at  double 
that  sum. 


158  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

The  number  of  proofs  thus  taken  is  generally  extended  to  a  de- 
gree that  makes  that  term  perfectly  farcical.  It  is  recorded,  in  the 
work  just  quoted,  that  five  hundred  proofs  were  printed  from  Raim- 
bach's  plate  of  Wilkie's  "  Blind  Man's  Buff."  But  this  was  in  the 
infancy  of  the  system  ;  and  this  number  of  proofs  now  would  be 
considered  a  very  moderate  quantity  to  send  out  of  a  readily  sala- 
ble publication. 

It  is  said,  that  from  one  series  of  plates  for  a  periodical  work, 
which  it  is  not  necessary  to  name,  five  hundred  impressions  were 
on  one  occasion  taken  off,  in  haste,  to  seize  an  opportunity  of 
supplying  the  American  market  ;  and  that  after  these  had  been 
despatched  to  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  not  before,  the  operation 
began  of  printing  the  first  proofs  for  home  customers.  These 
plates,  however,  were  of  steel  ;  and  it  may  be  said,  therefore,  that 
the  circumstance  here  related  was  of  no  importance,  since  a  steel 
plate  will  render  a  prodigious  number  of  impressions,  without  any 
sensible  difference  between  the  first  and  the  last.  But  if  this  be 
so,  why,  in  such  cases,  continue  the  distinction  between  proofs  and 
prints  at  all  ? 

Copper  plates,  by  the  practice  which  has  been  noticed,  become 
frequently  worn  down  before  plain  prints,  which  succeed  proofs, 
begin  to  be  taken  off.  Yet  these  are  the  impressions  with  which 
lovers  and  patrons  of  art  whose  means  are  moderate  are  compelled 
to  be  content,  and  by  which  they  are  left  to  estimate  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  engraver.  As  soon  as  the  plate  becomes  much  worn,  it  is 
retouched  and  repaired,  and  is  again  worked  from,  and  then  again 
worked  upon  and  worked  from,  so  long  as  any  call  for  impressions 
continues  or  can  be  excited.  It  is  asserted,  but,  we  will  hope, 
not  truly,  that  in  the  course  of  these  retouchings  the  lettering  is 
sometimes  burnished  out,  and  that  fresh  proofs,  or  rather  false 
proofs,  then  again  begin  to  be  taken  ;  or  that  such  proofs,  so  to 
call  them,  for  want  of  an  appropriate  name,  are  produced  by  the 
printer  artfully  avoiding  to  print  the  letters  in  taking  off  the  im- 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  159 

pressions.      Hence,  a  modern  engraver  must  be  content  to  be  much 
less  sensitive  of  his  reputation  than  were  the  ancients. 

It  is  recorded  of  Lucas  van  Leyden,  that  so  jealous  was  he  of 
his  just  fame,  that,  in  working  off  impressions  from  his  plates,  he 
at  once  destroyed  such  as  did  not  fully  satisfy  his  own  idea  of 
perfection.  The  poor  impressions  that  are  met  with  were  no 
doubt  taken  after,  and  probably  long  after,  his  death  ;  and  this 
observation  will  apply  to  many,  perhaps  to  all,  of  the  very  early 
engravers,  several  of  whose  plates  are  even  still  in  existence. 

Let  us  now,  by  way  of  contrast  to  the  practice  which  has  been 
detailed,  take  a  summary  view  of  the  very  different  system  by 
which  prints  were  produced  during  the  earlier  aeras  of  the  art. 

The  ancient  artist,  in  a  great  majority  of  instances,  was  at 
once  painter,  engraver,  printer,  publisher.  Generally  speaking,  he 
selected  his  own  subject  ;  he  embodied  his  first  thought  in  color 
or  in  chalk,  on  canvas  or  on  paper,  as  he  thought  fit.  He  himself, 
with  his  own  hand,  transferred  it  to  the  copper ;  sometimes,  in- 
deed, he  originated  it  on  the  plate  at  once.  He  himself  perfected 
it  there,  infusing,  at  every  touch,  the  single  individual  soul  of  the 
first  conception,  unmixed,  undivided,  in  all  its  complete  unity. 

If  the  engraver  was  not  himself  a  painter,  but  a  translator  only 
of  the  original  design  of  another,  he  considered  it  necessary,  in 
order  to  duly  exercise  this  secondary  profession,  to  acquire,  as  a 
groundwork,  the  most  important  qualities  that  go  to  form  a  paint- 
er. Especially,  he  thought  it  indispensable  to  make  himself 
perfectly  proficient  in  drawing.  Further,  he  was  impressed  with 
the  great  importance  of  forming  an  intimate  acquaintance  with 
the  mind  of  his  original  ;  and  in  order  to  this,  he  preferred  to 
confine  his  tasks  of  translation  to  as  few  original  authors  as  might 
be,  even,  if  possible,  to  one.  He  so  studied  his  original  as  to 
imbibe  a  kindred  spirit,  to  engender  a  communion  of  soul  and 
feeling,  such  as  subsisted  between  Marc  Antonio  and  Raffaelle, 
Bolswert  and  Rubens.  The  painter  himself  anxiously  superin- 


160  THE  PKINT  COLLECTOR. 

tended  the  translation,  as  it  progressed,  and  lent  occasionally  a 
touch  from  his  own  hand  to  perfect  the  identity. 

So  entirely,  indeed,  did  the  old  engravers  incorporate  them- 
selves with  their  original,  so  perfectly  did  they  assimilate  their 
spirit  to  his,  and  so  conscious  were  they  of  having  acquired  a 
thorough  identity  of  feeling  with  him,  that  they  ventured,  now  and 
then,  to  act  as  if  this  identity  were  real  ;  and  they  made  alterations 
and  improvements,  such  as  they  felt  their  original  would  have  done 
had  he  been  himself  engraving  his  work. 

As  one  instance  of  this,  to  confine  ourselves  to  one,  we  may 
mention  the  engraving  by  Agostino  Caracci,  which  is  a  chef*- 
d'ceuvre  of  that  great  master's  efforts  in  this  line,  of  "  The  Ecstasy 
of  St.  Francis,"  after  Francis  Vanni.  In  this  print  Agostino  has 
greatly  improved  the  design  of  his  original.  The  superior  artist 
possessed  himself  of  the  whole  idea  of  the  painter  ;  felt  what  was 
intended  to  be  expressed,  but  which  appeared  inadequately  carried 
out  ;  continued  and  extended  the  intention,  and  perfected  what 
the  painter  had  conceived,  but  wanted  talent  to  express  ;  "  de 
sorte,"  says  Bartsch,  "  que  cet  ouvrage  a  tout  le  merite  d'un 
original." 

The  desire  that  the  plate  should  be  the  labor  of  his  own  hand, 
led  the  ancient  engraver  to  study  how  to  produce  great  effect  by 
small  means  ;  to  know  how  much  it  was  needful  to  express,  and 
how  much  might  be  left,  and  would  be  better  left,  to  the  imagina- 
tion to  fill  up.  His  judgment  did  not  suggest,  nor  did  the  taste  of 
his  age  require,  that  his  whole  paper  should  be  covered  with  micro- 
scopic working  ;  he  compensated  for  this  by  his  consummate  knowl- 
edge and  skill,  by  masterly  touches  and  management  ;  and  he  con- 
trived to  make  large  spaces  of  white  paper,  left  untouched  by  the 
engraver,  more  conducive  to  general  effect  than  if  he  had  loaded 
them  with  tooling.  He  knew  that  minuteness  of  detail  often 
diminishes  effect,  and  he  felt  the  truth  that  had  been  proclaimed, 
applicable  to  such  a  subject,  twenty  centuries  before,  by  the  old 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  161 

Greek  poet  Hesiod,  that  the  half  is  better  than  the  whole,  and, 
nocere  saepe  nimiam  diligentiam. 

This  is  so  fully  understood  by  intelligent  connoisseurs,  that 
when  a  universal  redundancy  of  labor,  such  as  present  taste  seems 
to  require,  does  appear,  as  is  sometimes,  but  rarely,  the  case,  and 
chiefly  in  the  German  masters,  they  consider  it  not  a  subject  of 
praise,  but  are  rather  prone  to  make  for  it  a  sort  of  apology,  with 
an  implied  admission  that  its  tendency  is  prejudicial.  "  La  per- 
fection," says  M.  Duchesne,  speaking  of  a  print  by  Albert  Du'rer, 
"  avec  laquelle  sont  rendus  les  details,  ne  nuit  en  rien  a  1'effet 
g6neral." 

Having  finished  his  plate,  the  ancient  artist  did  not  content- 
edly dismiss  it  from  his  care  ;  he  himself  (we  speak  in  the  general, 
because  known  special  instances  seem  to  warrant  it)  selected  the 
paper  for  receiving  the  impression,  choosing  a  texture  and  tint  best 
harmonizing  with  his  work  ;  he  himself  condescended  to  ink  the 
plate,  exercising,  even  in  this  almost  menial  department,  a  science 
and  a  judgment  equal  to  any  exhibited  in  the  prior  stages.  In 
many  of  the  finest  etchings,  the  important  advantage  arising  from 
this  practice  alone  is  specifically  apparent,  independent  of  the 
other  excellences.  He  himself  arranged  and  regulated  the  press, 
in  his  own  house,  with  his  own  hands  ;  and,  lastly,  he  himself,  in 
due  maturity  of  time,  published  his  work  to  the  world.  Thus, 
invented  and  carried  to  its  perfection  by  one  mind  and  one  hand, 
the  print  exhibited  the  effect  of  one  continuously-sustained  feeling 
and  intelligence,  and  sparkled  forth  all  intellect,  life,  and  spirit. 

The  evil  of  the  system  which  has  grown  up  instead  of  this,  is 
very  generally  felt  and  admitted  ;  but  every  one  seems  content  to 
believe  that  it  could  not  have  been  prevented,  and  that  it  is  with- 
out hope  of  remedy.  The  print-publishers  assure  us  that  they  are 
compelled  to  resort  to  and  encourage  the  expedients  that  are  so 
much  to  be  regretted,  by  reason  of  the  great  cost  of  getting  up  a 
plate.  According  to  the  statements  made,  the  expense  is  increased 


1 62  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

far  beyond  the  proportion  to  be  expected  from  mere  change  of 
times. 

To  go  no  further  back  than  the  time  of  Woollett,  who  died  in 
1785,  that  eminent  artist's  price  for  engraving  his  "  Niobe"  was 
fifty  guineas,  though  his  liberal  and  enterprising  patron  paid  him  a 
hundred.  That  print  was  published  at  five  shillings.  "  Proof 
prints,"  the  biographer  of  Alderman  Boydell  observes,  "  were  not 
at  that  time  considered  as  having  any  particular  value  ;  the  few  that 
were  taken  off,  to  examine  the  progress  of  the  plate,  were  delivered 
to  such  subscribers  as  chose  to  have  them  at  the  same  price  as  the 
other  impressions." 

To  engrave  a  plate  of  the  size  of  the  Niobe,  and  of  similar 
subject,  in  the  style  of  the  present  day,  would  now  cost  upwards 
of  a  thousand  pounds,  at  the  least,  and  the  prints  would  be 
charged  at  about  a  guinea  and  a  half.  On  comparing  the  two 
prints  together,  there  would  certainly  be  found  in  the  modern 
production,  although  that  print  would  not  be  one  third  so  effective 
as  the  other,  three  times  the  amount  of  work  that  appears  in  the 
Woollett.  It  is  proper  to  remember,  also,  that  the  price  of  all  the 
commodities  of  life  is  increased  since  the  time  of  which  we  are 
speaking  by  about  one  third  ;  but  these  two  causes,  taken  to- 
gether, are  by  no  means  sufficient  to  account  for  the  great  in- 
crease of  expense.  Unitedly,  they  account  for  an  increase  of  not 
fourfold,  but  the  increase  which  is  to  be  accounted  for  is  twenty- 
fold. 

We  know  not  where  to  seek  for  the  additional  causes,  unless 
among  circumstances  partly  of  a  general  and  partly  of  a  special 
nature  ;  all  so  obvious  as  not  to  need  remark,  but  a  slight  sugges- 
tion merely.  Such  are,  the  difference  in  the  habits  of  living  ;  the 
expense  necessary  to  support  this  ;  the  preference  now  given  to 
reputation  for  wealth  overall  other  reputation  ;  the  disposition  of  the 
public  always  to  patronize  a  favorite,  and  to  refuse  to  be  content  with 
any  one  else  ;  the  necessity  of  engaging  the  favorite  artist,  and  having 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  163 

all  works  executed  under  his  name  ;  the  consequent  inadmissibility  of 
any  competition  ;  the  natural  disposition  in  the  favorite  to  take  the 
full  advantage  of  this  his  fortune  ;  the  power  given  to  him  to  set 
his  own  value  upon  himself  ;  the  consequent  temptation  to  exor- 
bitancy ;  the  helplessness  necessitating  submission  to  it  ;  the  in- 
clination of  artists  generally  to  assume  this  rate  of  pay  as  the 
general  rate  of  price  ;  the  pride  that  will  rather  starve  than  under- 
value itself  ;  the  grudging  of  the  profits  of  the  middlemen  ;  the 
determination  to  share  in  them. 

The  reader  will  have  observed,  that  the  increase  of  price  at 
which  the  print  is  charged  to  the  public  bears  very  inadequate 
proportion  to  the  increase  of  price  paid  to  the  engraver  ;  the  latter 
being,  as  before  mentioned,  above  twentyfold,  and  the  former 
little  more  than  six.  This  disproportion  is  accounted  for  by  the 
very  great  increase  in  the  number  of  buyers.  Had  customers  so 
multiplied  upon  an  artist  of  the  old  time,  he,  in  his  innocence, 
would  have  been  puzzled  how  to  meet  the  demand,  and  would 
probably,  in  the  dull  simplicity  of  his  mind,  have  thought  of  no 
better  expedient  than  to  engrave  a  second  plate.  But  the  inge- 
nuity of  modern  times  has,  as  has  been  shown,  quite  surmounted 
the  apparent  impossibility  of  meeting  a  demand  beyond  the  means 
of  supply ;  and  by  the  invention  adopted,  and  the  contented 
acquiescence  of  the  unknowing  public,  the  publishers  can  afford  to 
sell  a  print  vastly  cheaper,  compared  with  the  cost  of  producing 
it,  than  the  older  speculators  were  enabled  to  do. 

But  there  is  one  item  of  expense,  of  which  the  print-publishers 
make  great  complaint.  It  frequently  happens  that  the  speculation 
of  engraving  and  publishing  a  print  originates  in  the  popularity 
acquired  by  a  picture  on  its  exhibition  at  the  Royal  Academy  or 
elsewhere  ;  but  here  the  print-publisher  is  met  by  an  interdiction 
that  has  become  subject  of  much  remonstrance  and  dispute.  The 
painter  considers,  even  though  he  may  have  sold  his  picture,  that 
he  has  a  copyright  in  his  work,  and  that,  in  the  event  of  any 


1 64  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

scheme  of  multiplying  it  by  engraving,  though  with  the  permission 
of  the  proprietor,  he  is  entitled  to  demand,  as  the  price  of  his 
license  to  do  this,  any  sum  that  he  may  please  to  require. 

It  might  be  expected,  that,  if  reputation  were  of  more  con- 
sideration than  gain,  a  painter  would  think  it  an  advantage  to  have 
his  fame  extended  by  the  labors  of  the  sister  art.  This  was 
doubtless  the  case  in  old  times.  The  painter  will  probably  insist 
that  it  is  so  still  ;  but  he,  in  his  justification,  desires  that  it  may  be 
remembered  that  the  object  of  the  application  to  him  for  his 
license  is  not  the  extension  of  his  fame,  nor  the  love  of  art,  nor  a 
disinterested  anxiety  for  its  advancement,  but  merely  and  exclu- 
sively the  making  of  money.  He  pretends  to  know  that  very  large 
sums  are  realized  by  this  class  of  persons,  who  neither  bear  nor  are 
competent  to  bear  any  share  whatever  in  the  labors  of  the  art 
which  produces  the  article  which  they  sell,  but  are  merely  the 
hand  through  which  the  result  of  the  labors  of  others  is  ushered 
to  the  public. 

The  print-publishers,  on  the  other  hand,  assure  us  that  it  is  the 
enhancement  of  expense  occasioned  by  this  claim,  that  mainly 
contributes  to  drive  them  to  every  expedient  to  economize  and 
compensate.  They  admit,  or,  at  least,  cannot  deny,  that  the 
modern  system,  the  main  characteristics  of  which  have  now  been 
noticed,  is  derogatory  and  prejudicial  to  art,  and  has  a  tendency  to 
debase  rather  than  to  encourage  it.  But  they  profess  that  the 
adoption  of  this  system  is  forced  upon  them  by  the  great  drain  on 
their  capital  ;  by  the  very  great  sum  which  they  are  obliged  to  pay 
for  this  license,  or  for  a  picture  ;  the  great  sum  they  are  obliged  to 
pay  the  engraver  ;  the  advances  of  money  which  they  are  called 
upon  to  make  as  the  work  proceeds  ;  the  great  length  of  time  that 
elapses  before  any  return  begins  to  be  received  ;  the  long  credit 
required  by  the  retailer  ;  the  heavy  cost  of  forcing  the  publication 
upon  public  notice  ;  and  they  might  add,  if  they  pleased,  the  very 
large  profit  that,  somehow  or  other,  they  are  enabled  and  content 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  165 

to  allow  to  the  printsellers,  to  induce  them  to  subscribe  for  impres- 
sions, and  which,  by  the  customary  rule  of  the  trade,  is  upwards  of 
thirty-three  per  cent,  and  sometimes,  in  special  cases,  rises  to- 
wards fifty,  or  one  half  the  price  at  which  the  print  or  proof  is 
sold.  The  great  grievance  of  the  charge  for  license  is  more 
bitterly  complained  of  from  the  known  fact,  that  the  circumstance 
of  having  been  engraved  gives  additional  value  to  a  picture.  When 
print-publishers,  therefore,  purchase  a  picture,  with  the  right  of 
engraving  it,  or  when  they  order  a  picture  to  be  painted  for  this 
purpose,  they  get  great  part,  or  perhaps  all,  of  their  money  back 
again,  or  possibly  even  more  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
money  which  they  may  be  obliged  to  pay  for  a  license,  merely  to 
engrave,  is  entirely  sunk.  It  is  asserted  that  the  accumulated 
expenses  which  have  been  enumerated,  can  never  be  compensated 
except  by  a  proportionate  extensiveness  of  sale  ;  and  hence  it  is 
that  it  has  become  necessary  to  devise  the  expedient  of  the  dis- 
tinction and  variety  of  proofs  ;  hence  the  great  multiplication  of 
them,  and  the  working  down  the  plate  to  extremity.  Hence,  also, 
we  are  told,  and  this  is  a  circumstance  of  still  more  importance, 
that  the  print-publishers  are  compelled  to  restrict  themselves  to  the 
employment  of  the  lower  branches  of  the  art  of  engraving,  and  are 
precluded  from  encouraging  the  higher  ;  hence,  therefore,  it  arises 
that  the  largest  and  most  important,  or,  indeed,  nearly  all  the 
publications  of  the  present  day,  are  produced  by  a  combination  of 
mezzotinto,  aquatinta,  etching,  scraping,  stippling,  and  any  means, 
whether  artist-like  or  not,  so  they  be  cheap  and  expeditious,  of 
producing  a  result  ;  hence  it  is,  that  the  old,  legitimate,  and  high- 
est branch  of  the  art,  line-engraving,  has,  in  our  country  at  least, 
been  nearly  abandoned,  and  is  superseded  by  the  heterogeneous, 
nondescript  manufacture,  with  which  the  public  are  content  to  be 
satisfied,  and,  perhaps,  not  being  better  guided,  prefer. 

Projects  have  of  late  years  been  set  on  foot,  professing  to  have 
for  their  object  the  encouragement  of  the  art,  and  of  creating  and 


1 66  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

extending  among  the  people  a  taste  for  its  productions.  Hon- 
estly to  effect  such  an  object,  there  must  be  a  union  of  qualities 
which  rarely  meet  together  :  disinterested  purity  of  motive  ; 
talent  to  devise  a  mode  of  action  ;  means  of  execution  ;  and  judg- 
ment to  direct  those  means.  The  development  and  result  of  the 
projects  which  have  as  yet  been  tried,  give  ample  evidence  that 
they  have  not  been  concocted  under  the  happy  auspices  of  any 
such  combination  as  this.  The  only  effect  on  public  taste  has  been 
to  further  debase  and  mislead  it,  and  the  only  arts  that  have  been 
encouraged  are  the  arts  of  speculation  and  gambling. — Non  tali 
auxilio  ! — If  a  return  to  purer  and  nobler  principles  be  ever  per- 
mitted to  take  place,  it  must  be  by  the  influence  of  some  better 
spirit  than  that  which  now  walks  the  earth.  That  which  the  old 
philosophy  stigmatized  as  the  incentive  to  all  evil,  longer  expe- 
rience proves  to  be  also  the  impediment  to  all  good.  '  This  most 
ennobling  of  all  studies,"  says  Sir  David  Wilkie,  speaking  of  the 
fine  arts,  "  this  most  unsordid  of  all  pursuits,  must  be  followed  by 
a  pure  heart  and  a  disinterested  mind.  If  the  glories  of  art  are 
not  sought  for  their  own  sake,  they  had  better  not  be  sought  at 
all.  If  gain  alone  were  its  glory,  it  should  be  a  forbidden  study, 
and  prohibited,  from  the  very  prostitution  of  soul  which  in  such 
minds  it  occasions."  It  is  to  be  wished  that  these  sentiments  were 
more  general  than  they  are  ;  they  are  freely  acknowledged,  but 
seldom  allowed  to  become  operative.  To  emancipate  art  from  its 
incongruous  alliance  with  commercial  speculation,  will  require  more 
disinterestedness,  more  enthusiasm,  more  singleness  of  purpose, 
more  self-denial,  more  independence,  more  lofty  motive,  than  the 
world  can  at  present  afford. 

The  circumstances  that  have  now  been  detailed,  and  the  obser- 
vations that  have  been  made,  will  sufficiently  explain  the  grounds 
upon  which  we  form  the  expectation,  that  the  prints  of  the  ancient 
masters  are,  and  are  likely  to  continue  for  an  indefinite  period  of 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  167 

time,  secure    from    rivalry  in  those  high  qualities  of  art  in  which 
their  excellence  mainly  consists. 

Priscis,  enim,  temporibus,  cum,  adhuc,  nuda  placeret  virtus, 
vigebant  artes  ingenuae,  summumque  certamen  inter  homines  erat, 
ne  quid  profuturum  saeculis  diu  lateret.  Nolite  mirari  si  artes 
ingenuae  defecerunt,  cum,  omnibus  hominibus,  formosior  videatur 
massa  auri,  quam  quicquid  Apelles,  Phidiasve,  Graeculi  delirantes, 
fecerunt.* 

*  Petronius. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

OF   BOOKS   ON   ENGRAVING. 

HAVING  now  concluded  the  observations  that  appear  necessary 
for  the  initiation  of  the  young  collector  into  the  first  rudiments  of 
his  pursuit,  it  remains  to  introduce  him  to  the  sources  from  whence 
he  may  derive  further  information. 

It  was  proposed  to  close  this  little  volume  with  as  complete  a 
list  as  might  be,  of  all  works  that  have  at  various  times  been 
published,  abroad  or  at  home,  upon  the  subjects  of  engraving  or 
prints,  whether  treating  of  those  matters  expressly  and  exclusively, 
or  incidentially  only,  as  one  branch  of  the  fine  arts  in  general  ;  but 
it  soon  appeared  that  the  execution  of  such  a  plan  would  extend 
to  a  bulk  vastly  disproportionate  to  the  work  to  which  it  was 
intended  as  an  appendage  merely.  We  have,  therefore,  abandoned 
this  idea,  and  confined  our  catalogue  as  nearly  as  possible  to  such 
works  only  as  are  devoted  exclusively  to  prints,  or  the  art  which 
produces  them. 

This  curtailment  has  been  submitted  to  with  less  reluctance, 
because  it  makes  room  for  a  brief  raisonne  account  of  the  works  as 

The  wood-block  printed  at  the  head  of  this  chapter  is  an  original  engraved  by- 
Anderson,  who  is  called  the  father  of  American  wood  engraving.  He  worked  in  the 
style  of  the  English  artist  Bewick. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  169 

they  occur,  which  will  be  a  more  advantageous  mode  of  proceeding 
than  the  merely  setting  down  a  dry  list  of  books  without  any 
comment.  Having  regard  to  the  purpose  for  which  this  catalogue 
is  compiled,  we,  indeed,  consider  it  necessary  to  do  this,  for, 
without  some  intimation  of  the  character  of  the  books  introduced 
to  notice,  with  respect  to  their  comparative  utility,  our  young 
collector  may  still  be  at  a  loss.  He  may,  indeed,  be  often  misled, 
rather  than  instructed,  for  it  frequently  happens  of  books,  in 
whatever  department  of  literature,  that  while  some,  with  scanty 
and  unassuming  titles,  are  found  on  examination  to  contain  more 
substantial  and  varied  matter  than  could  be  expected  from  their 
modest  title-page,  there  are  others  whose  title  promises  greatly 
more  than  what  the  book  is  found  to  contain. 

An  instance  of  this  occurred  to  a  young  collector  of  our  acquaint- 
ance, which  well  illustrates  this  remark,  and  shows  the  utility  of 
such  observations  as  constitute  the  value  of  a  catalogue  raisonne, 
as  distinguished  from  a  bare  list.  Our  young  friend  entertained 
the  idea  of  forming  a  small  collection,  of  such  a  description  as 
should  show,  in  order  of  time,  the  progress  of  the  art  of  engraving, 
from  its  invention  to  the  present  time.  In  making  search  for 
information  to  assist  him  in  executing  this  plan,  he  accidentally 
read,  in  a  bookseller's  catalogue,  the  following  item  :  "A  Cata- 
logue of  a  Collection  of  Prints,  formed  with  a  view  to  elucidate  and 
improve  the  history  of  engraving,  from  the  earliest  period  of  the 
art  to  the  year  1700,  etc.  London,  1803."  A  note,  subjoined  to 
the  item,  stated  that  "  this  catalogue  was  the  work  of  Dr.  Charles 
Combe,  an  eminent  connoisseur  and  antiquary."  Here,  then,  was 
the  very  thing  that  was  desired.  It  was  eagerly  sent  for.  Pro- 
portionate to  the  expectation  was  the  disappointment.  It  proved 
to  be  a  mere  sale  catalogue,  of  the  most  bare  and  meagre  descrip- 
tion possible,  each  lot  comprising  a  number  of  prints,  none  de- 
scribed, and  only  one  or  two  now  and  then  even  named.  For  exam- 
ple :  '  '  Lot  54.  Rembrandt.  Dutch.  Five,  Good  Samaritan," 


1 70  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

etc.  Every  item  was  according  to  this  sample,  nothing  beyond. 
It  is  hoped  that  this  long  digression  will  be  excused,  for  the  evi- 
dence which  it  gives  of  how  little  credit  is  to  be  attached  to  a 
title-page. 

The  works  that  have  been  published  within  the  last  fifty  years 
have  incorporated  nearly  all  that  was  worth  preserving  in  the 
earlier  authors.  The  old  books  are,  nevertheless,  interesting,  as 
exhibiting  the  state  of  art  at  the  time  of  their  publication,  the 
extent  of  the  information  then  possessed,  and  the  taste  and  tone  of 
thinking  of  the  age.  They  are  also,  generally  speaking,  of  low 
price,  and  may  serve  as  temporary  substitutes  for  the  more 
extended  and  costly  modern  works. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  this  reduction  of  our  catalogue 
from  the  original  intention  respecting  it,  has  occasioned  the  omis- 
sion of  a  vast  quantity  of  valuable  or  interesting  material.  A  tract 
on  our  specific  subject  frequently  appears  in  some  voluminous 
work  treating  of  other  matters. 

Thus,  to  give  a  few  instances:  "  HlSTOIRE  DE  LA  GRAVURE 
JUSQU'AUTEMPS  D' ALBERT  DURER,"  is  found  in  the  second  vol- 
ume of  Von  Murr's  Journal  of  the  Arts. 

A  tract,  by  Cronin  Mortimer,  appeared  in  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  of  1731,  entitled,  "  AN  ACCOUNT  OF  MR.  JAMES  CHR. 
LE  BLON'S  PRINCIPLES  OF  PRINTING  IN  IMITATION  OF  PAINTING." 

In  the  Transactions  of  the  "  Society  for  Encouragement  of 
Arts,"  of  the  year  1776,  Mr.  Robert  Lawrie  proposed,  "A  NEW 

METHOD  OF  PRINTING  MEZZOTINTO  PRINTS  IN  COLORS." 

A  tract,  by  Ch.  Francois,  "  ON  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING  IN  IM- 
ITATION OF  CRAYON  DRAWING,"  appears  in  the  first  part  of  the 
"  Philosophes  Modernes  de  Saveneir, "  a  quarto  book,  printed 
at  Paris  in  1767. 

"  IMPROVEMENT  IN  THE  AQUATINTA  PROCESS,  BY  WHICH  PEN, 
PENCIL  AND  CHALK  DRAWINGS  CAN  BE  IMITATED,  BY  J.  HASSELL," 
is  a  tract  printed  in  Nicholson's  Journal,  No.  30,  p.  220,  1811. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  171 

4 '  THE    EARLIEST   SPECIMENS  OF  MEZZOTINTO   ENGRAVING,  IN  A 
LETTER  TO  SlR  HENRY  ELLIS,  K.H.,  E.R.S.,  etc.,  LONDON,    1838, 

BY  HUGH  W.  DIAMOND,  E.S.A.,"  is  printed  in  the  twenty-seventh 
volume  of  the  Archaeologia.  Mr.  Diamond's  valuable  collection  of 
early  mezzotintos  is  now  in  the  British  Museum.  These  instances 
might  be  multiplied  to  a  great  extent. 

Again,  dissertations,  essays,   or  incidental  passages,   containing 
very  valuable  and  interesting  matter  on  engraving  or  prints,  are  to 
be  found  dispersed  among  the  writings  of  many  eminent  or  well- 
known   authors,  on  other  branches  of  the  fine  arts,  under  various 
titles.      Thus  :  writings  of  Baldinucci,  Bottari,  Sandrart,  Felibien, 
La  Comte,  Lacombe,   Mariette,  Petity,  Heinecken,   Lanzi,  Knorr, 
etc.,  and  touching  more  or  less  on  our  subject,  are  found   under 
the    titles    of     Racolte,   Academic,    Principes,     Cabinets,     Biblio- 
theques,  Histoires,  Memoirs,  Spectacles,  etc.    Much,  also,  respecting 
prints  or  engraving  is  scattered  about  in  the  lives  of  painters,  or 
general    biographies,    by    very    many    authors,     such    as    Vasari, 
D'Argenville,    Descampes,    Mariette,    De    Piles,    Coxe,    Chalmers, 
Duppa,  etc.     Much,  also,  in  lectures  on  painting,  as  in  Reynolds, 
Opie,  Fuseli,   etc.     Some,    also,  in  the  analogous  arts  of   typog- 
raphy, and  of  xylography,  as  applied  to  some    special  purpose,  as 
in  Herbert,  Ames,    Dibdin,   Singer,   Breitkoft,   etc.      Much,  also, 
in    miscellaneous   periodical  and  other   compilations,    as    Mus6es, 
Magazines,  Annals,  Journals,  as  that  of  Von  Murr.      A  great  mass, 
again,  may  be   found   in  Dictionaries,   as  Dictionnaire  des  Beaux 
Arts  ;  and  others,  composed  or  contributed  by  various  authors,  as 
L'Avocat,  Pouget,  Pernety,  Fontenai,  Diderot,  Watelet,  Zani,  etc. 
The  subject  of  engraving  is  exceedingly  well  treated  in  many  of 
those  very  voluminous  works,   abounding  in  our  own,  as  well  as 
other  languages,  under  the  title  of  Cyclopaedias.     Several  of  these 
give  very  elaborate  accounts  of  the  different  schools,  and  of  all  the 
artists  of  any  note  in  each. 

Much   pains   have   been    bestowed,    by   various   amateurs   and 


172  THE  PRIXT  COLLECTOR. 

others,  at  various  times,  in  the  attempt  to  compose  perfect  cata- 
logues of  all  the  works  of  certain  individual  engravers.  The  utility 
of  such  catalogues  to  a  collector  is  sufficiently  obvious,  and  they 
form  an  important  portion  of  his  library.  To  Florent  le  Comte, 
who  lived  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  and  beginning  of  the  eight- 
eenth centuries,  has  been  generally  given  the  credit  of  having 
introduced  the  idea  of  composing  these  catalogues.  This  writer 
was  not,  however,  the  first  who  began  the  practice,  for  a  catalogue 
of  the  works  of  Bonason  was  published  by  Malvasia  in  his 
"  Felsina  Pittrici,"  in  1678.  Mariette,  who  had  the  care  of  Prince 
Eugene's  collection  at  Vienna,  catalogued  every  volume  ;  but 
Heinecken  observes  that  this  was  done  when  he  was  a  young  man, 
and  that  he  did  not  publish  his  catalogues. 

Catalogues  which  have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of  sale  by 
auction,  are  to  be  met  with  in  booksellers'  shops,  and,  not  unfre- 
quently,  with  the  prices  and  the  names  of  the  purchasers  added  in 
manuscript.  In  what  manner,  and  to  what  extent,  such  catalogues 
can  be  made  of  any  practical  avail,  has  been  already  intimated, 
p.  55.  The  earliest  sale  catalogue  which  we  happen  to  have  seen 
is  that  "  des  estampes  et  livres  de  figures  de  defunct  M.  Boucot," 
8vo,  1699.  A  catalogue  of  the  whole  collection  of  De  Marolles, 
Abbe  de  Villeloin,  was  published  in  1666  ;  and  this  was  the  first 
publication  of  the  kind  in  France.  This  collection  consisted  of 
123,400  prints,  of  which  17,300  were  portraits. 

The  most  important  catalogue,  in  point  of  utility,  is,  perhaps, 
the  "  Catalogue  raisonne  des  estampes  du  cabinet  de  M.  le 
Comte  Rigal,  par  F.  L.  Regnault  de  la  Lande,  peintre  et  graveur, " 
8vo  ;  Paris,  1817.  Although  this  is  a  catalogue  of  a  miscellaneous 
collection,  yet  so  nearly  perfect  was  the  assemblage  of  the  produc- 
tions of  certain  masters,  that,  in  several  instances,  the  enumeration 
of  the  prints  of  some  one  engraver  amounts  to  a  tolerably  complete 
catalogue  of  his  works.  Being  drawn  up  with  much  of  the  accuracy 
and  minuteness  of  Bartsch's  Peintre  Graveur,  this  catalogue  serves, 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  173 

as  far  as  it  goes,  as  a  sort  of  supplement  to  that  work,  supplying 
engravers  to  whom  that  publication  does  not  extend.  Copies  were 
printed  after  the  sale  had  taken  place,  and  these  contain  a  table  of 
the  prices  for  which  the  several  lots  were  sold.  M.  de  la  Lande 
had  great  practice  in  the  composition  of  catalogues,  and  he  gives, 
in  this  of  Rigal,  a  list  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-two  others  which 
he  had  composed. 

Although  the  modern  art  of  lithography  be  certainly  a  method 
of  producing  prints,  it  cannot  be  considered  as  having  any  analogy 
to  the  art  of  engraving  ;  and  we,  therefore,  do  not  notice  in  our 
catalogue,  the  works  that  have  been  published  upon  it.  '  The 
complete  course  of  Lithography,"  etc.,  by  Alos  Senefelder,  trans- 
lated into  English,  and  published  in  quarto,  London,  1819,  gives 
the  general  outline  of  its  invention  and  practice.  Still  less  need 
we  notice  the  more  recent  process  of  producing  prints,  or  rather 
plates,  by  voltaic  electricity.  A  small  pamphlet,  by  Thomas 
Samson,  published  in  1842,  entitled,  "  Electro-tint."  etc.,  professes 
to  explain  what  has  as  yet  been  effected. 

The  earliest  book  which  is  met  with,  in  the  English  language, 
professing  to  treat  of  the  art  of  engraving,  is  that  which  has  been 
already  alluded  to,  in  page  133.  It  is  entitled,  "A  BOOK  OF  SE- 
CRETS," etc.,  etc. ;  "  ALSO  TO  GRAVE  WITH  STRONG  WATER  ON 

STEEL  AND  IRON,  TRANSLATED  OUT  OF  DUTCH,  BY  W.  P. — ADAM 
ISLIP,  1599."  It  is  a  small  quarto. 

"  TRAITE  DES  MANIERES  DE  GRAVER  EN  TAILLE  DOUCE,  PAR 
ABRAHAM  BOSSE,  PARIS,  1645."  8vo. 

Of  this  book,  M.  Cochin  published  an  enlarged  edition,  in  1758, 
under  the  title,  "  DE  LA  MANIERE  DE  GRAVER  A  L'EAU  FORTE  ET 
AU  BURIN,  ET  DE  LA  GRAVURE  EN  MANIERE  NOIRE,"  etc.,  "  PAR 
ABRAHAM  BOSSE,  GRAVEUR  DU  ROI,  NOUVELLE  EDITION,  AUG- 
MENTEE  DE  L'lMPRESSION  QUI  UNITE  LES  TABLEAUX  ET  LA 
GRAVURE,  EN  MANIERE  DE  CRAYON,  ET  DE  CELLE  QUI  IMITE  LES 
LAVIS,  ORNEE  DE  VIGNETTES  ET  DE  PLANCHES  EN  TAILLE  DOUCE. 
PARIS,  1758."  8vo. 


174  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

The  first  original  English  work  on  engraving  was  a  duodecimo 
volume,  published  in  London,  in  1662,  by  the  eminent  engraver, 
William  Faithorne,  and  of  which  a  second  edition  appeared,  in  I2mo, 
in  1702,  entitled,  "THE  ART  OF  GRAVING  AND  ETCHING,  WHEREIN  IS 
EXPRESSED  THE  TRUE  WAY  OF  ENGRAVING  ON  COPPER  :  ALSO  THE 
MANNER  AND  METHOD  OF  THE  FAMOUS  CALLOT  AND  M.  BOSSE,  IN 
THEIR  SEVERAL  WAYS  OF  ETCHING.  PUBLISHED  BY  WILLIAM 

FAITHORNE.    THE  SECOND  EDITION,  IN  WHICH  is  ADDED  THE 

WAY  OF  PRINTING  COPPER-PLATES,  AND  HOW  TO  MAKE  THE  PRESS. 
LONDON,  1702."  This  little  work  consists  of  no  more  than  seventy- 
two  pages,  and  is  entirely  practical. 

"  CABINET  DES  SINGULARITEZ  D'ARCHITECTURE,  PEINTURE, 
SCULPTURE,  ET  GRAVURE,  OU  INTRODUCTION  A  LA  CONNAISANCE 
DES  PLUS  BEAUX  ARTS,  ETC.,  PAR  FLORENT  LE  COMTE,  SCULPTEUR 
ET  PEINTRE,  ETC.  3  TOM.  BRUSSELLES,  1702."  I2mo. 

Although  this  book  be  not  confined  exclusively  to  engraving, 
we,  nevertheless,  notice  it,  by  reason  that  in  it  appears  the  first 
"  idea  of  a  fine  collection  of  prints."  The  classification  in  this  is 
by  character  of  subject,  as  historical,  moral,  etc.  This  book  gives 
catalogues  of  the  works  of  several  engravers,  as  also  painters ;  the 
Sadelers,  Peter  Testa,  Nanteuil,  Vandyke,  the  Caracci,  also  Rubens, 
Le  Brun,  Raffaelle,  Vander  Meulen,  and  the  portraits  in  the  Palais 
Royal. 

"  NOUVEAU  GENRE  DE  PEINTURE,  OU  L'ART  D'lMPRIMER  DES 
PORTRAITS,  ET  DES  TABLEAUX,  EN  HUILE,  AVEC  LA  MEME  EXACTI- 
TUDE, QUE  S'lLS  ETOIENT  FAITES  AU  PINCEAU,  PAR  J.  CHR.  LE 

BLON.    LONDON,  1722."    4to. 

"  COLORITTO,  OR  THE  HARMONY  OF  COLOURING  IN  PAINTING, 
REDUCED  TO  MECHANICAL  PRACTICE,  UNDER  EASY  PRECEPTS  AND 
INFALLIBLE  RULES,  BY  J.  CHR.  LE  BLON.  LONDON,  1737."  4tO. 

"  LETTRE  CONCERNANT  LE  NOUVEL  ART  DE  GRAVER  ET  D'IM- 
PRIMER  LES  TABLEAUX,  PAR  J.  GAULTIER  DE  MONT  D'ORGE. 
PARIS,  1749."  8vo. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  175 

This  author  was  the  writer  of  the  article  "  Engraving,"  in  the 
Encyclopedic  des  Sciences  de  Diderot.  Two  other  books,  founded 
on  the  above  work  of  Le  Blon,  appeared  in  Paris,  in  1756  and  1767. 

"  NOUVELLE  MANIERE  DE  FAIRE  DES  GRAVURES  DE  DIFFEREN- 
TES  COULEURS  A  LA  MANIERE  DU  DESSEIN,  PAR  J.  J.  BYLAERT." 
The  original  of  this  book  is  Dutch,  from  which  it  was  translated 
into  German.  8vo,  Amsterdam  and  Leipsig,  1773. 

We  have  classed  these  books  together,  as  they  all  relate  to  the 
fruitless  attempts  made  to  produce  colored  prints. 

Antonio  Pellegrini  Orlandi  is  an  Italian  author,  whose  several 
works  have  supplied  materials  to  later  writers.  Of  these  one  is  en- 
titled as  follows  :  "  ORIGIXE  E  PROGRESSI  DELLA  STAMPA  O  SIA 
DELL  ARTI  IMPRESSORIA,  E  NOTIZIE  DELL*  OPERI  STAMPATE  D*ALL 

ANNO  1457,  SINO  ALL  ANNO  1500.  BONON,  1722."  Another  is  the 
"  REPERTORIUM  SCULPTILE  TYPICUM  ;"  and  which  was  published,  in 
London,  in  1736.  The  third  bears  the  title,  "  ABECEDARIO  PITTO- 

RICO,  CONTINENTS  LE  NOTIZIE,  etc.,  etc.      VENEZ,  1753."      4tO. 

"  COMMINCIAMENTO,  E  PROGRESSO,  DELL  ARTE  DELL  INTAGLI- 
ARE  IN  RAME,  COLL  VITE  DI  MOLTI  DI  PIU  EXCELLENTI  MAESTRI, 
DELLA  STESSA  PROFESSIONS.  FlRENZE,  1767."  4tO. 

This  work  is  by  Domenico  Maria  Manni,  and  is  a  supplement, 
and  new  edition,  under  a  new  title,  of  the  "  RACOLTA  DI  ALCUNI 

OPUSCULI    SOPRA    VARIE    MATERIE     DE     PITTURA,    SCOLTURA,    ET 

ARCHITETTURA,  ETC.,  DA  FlLlPPO  BALDINUCCI ;"  which  was  pub- 
lished at  Florence,  in  4to,  in  1686. 

A  compilation,  from  the  Repertorium,  the  Abecedario,  the 
Cabinet  des  Singularitez,  the  above  works  of  Baldinucci  and  Manni, 
as  also  the  English  work  of  Faithorne,  were  incorporated  into 
a  duodecimo  volume,  published  anonymously,  under  the  title, 
"  SCULPTURA,  HISTORICO  TECHNICA  ;  OR,  THE  HISTORY  AND  ART 
OF  ENGRAVING,  ETC.  LONDON,  1747." 

"  DlCTIONNAIRE  DES  MONOGRAMMES,  CHEFFRES,  LETTRES  IN- 
ITIALES,  LOGOGRYPHES,  REBUS,  ETC.,  TRAD.  DE  L'ALLEMANDE  DE 


176  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

M.  CHRIST  ET  AUGMENTE  DE  PLUSIEURS  SUPPLEMENS,  PAR  M.  DE 

L'ACAD.    IMP.  ET  DE   LA  SOC.    ROY.    DE    LONDRES.      PARIS,  I/SO." 

8vo. 

This  book  was,  formerly,  the  great  authority  on  the  subject  of 
monograms.  The  modern  work  of  Brulliot,  which  will  be  noticed 
hereafter,  has  incorporated  the  whole  of  this,  and  therefore  super- 
sedes it. 

"ABREGE  HISTORIQUE  DE  L'ORIGINE  ET  DES  PROGRES  DE  LA 
GRAVURE,  ET  DES  ESTAMPES  EN  BOIS,  ET  EN  TAILLE  DOUCE,  PAR 

M.  LE  MAJOR  DE  HUMBERT.     BERLIN,  1752."     i2mo.    This  little 
book  contains  but  sixty-two  pages,  and  is  very  superficial. 

"  LA    GRAVURE,    POEME,    PAR    R.     P.     DOISSIN.      PARIS,     1753-" 

8vo.     "  Des  phrases,"  says  a  French  critic,  "  assez  peu  po6tiques,  et 
fort  inutiles." 

"VENEZIA,    LA    PRIMA    INVENTRICE    DELLA    STAMPA.      VENICE, 

1754."     8vo. 

"IDEE  DE  LA  GRAVURE,  ETC.,  PAR  M.  ANTOINE  MARCENAY 
DEGHUY,  AVEC  UN  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DES  ESTAMPES,  QUI  FOR- 
MENT  L'CEUVRE  DE  M.  MARCENAY.  PARIS,  1764."  4to. 

"  AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  INVENTION  OF  ENGRAVING  AND  PRINTING 
IN  CHIAROSCURO,  AS  PRACTISED  BY  ALBERT  DURER,  HUGO  DA 
CARPI,  ETC.,  BY  MR.  JACKSON,  OF  BATTERSEA." 

John  Baptist  Jackson  was  a  creditable  wood  engraver.  Being  in 
lack  of  employ,  he  engaged  in  a  paper-manufactory  at  Battersea, 
and  the  object  of  this  publication  was  to  obtain  patronage  for  printed 
paper-hangings.  The  art  had  been  thus  applied,  in  France,  fifty 
years  before. 

"SCULPTURA;  OR,  THE  HISTORY  AND  ART  OF  CHALCOGRAPHY, 
AND  ENGRAVING  ON  COPPER,  ETC.  :  TO  WHICH  IS  ANNEXED  A  NEW 
MANNER  OF  ENGRAVING,  OR  MEZZOTINTO,  COMMUNICATED  BY  HIS 
HIGHNESS  PRINCE  RUPERT  TO  THE  AUTHOR  OF  THIS  TREATISE, 
JOHN  EVELYN,  ESQ.  THE  SECOND  EDITION.  LONDON,  1755." 

This  is  a  thin  small  octavo  ;  the  original  edition  was  published 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  177 

in  1662.  It  has  all  the  interest  which  might  be  expected  from  a 
work  of  so  celebrated  a  writer. 

"  TRAITE  HISTORIQUE  ET  PRATIQUE  DE  LA  GRAVURE  EN  BOIS, 
PAR  J.  M.  PAPILLON,  GRAVEUR,  ETC.  PARIS,  1766."  2  torn.  8vo, 
with  a  supplemental  third  volume. 

Until  Mr.  Jackson's  publication,  mentioned  hereafter,  this  book 
was  the  principal,  or  only  considerable,  work  on  wood-engraving. 
PIERRE  SIMON  FOURNIER  had  published,  in  1758,  a  dissertation  on 
this  subject,  which  abounds  in  errors.  The  first  volume  of  Papil- 
lon's  work  contains  the  history  of  the  art  ;  the  second,  the  practice. 
This  book  is  very  copious ;  it  is  mentioned  in  commendable  terms 
by  Strutt,  and  is  interesting  from  the  many  specimens  it  contains 
of  the  author's  art. 

"  DlCTIONNAIRE  DES  GRAVEURS  ANCIENS  ET  MODERNES  DEPUIS 
L'ORIGINE  DE  LA  GRAVURE,  AVEC  UNE  NOTICE  DES  PRINCIPAUX 
ESTAMPES  QU'lLS  ONT  GRAVEES,  SUIVIE  DES  CATALOGUES  DES 
CEUVRES  DE  JAQUES  JORDAENS  ET  DE  CORNEILLE  VlSSCHER, 
PAR  F.  BASAN,  GRAVEUR.  PARIS,  1767."  2  torn.  8vo. 

Strutt  observes,  that  Basan  omits  to  notice  the  style  or  manner 
in  which  the  artists  worked  ;  neither  has  he  given  the  monograms. 
Huber,  publishing  in  1787,  says,  "This  book  is  hastily  got  up,  but 
is  the  best  of  the  kind  now  existing." 

"  DlCTIONNAIRE  DES  GRAVEURS  ANCIENS  ET  MODERNES  DEPUIS, 

ETC.,  PAR  P.  F.  ET  H.  L.  BASAN,  PERE  ET  FILS,  GRAVEURS. 
SECONDE  EDITION,  PRECEDES  D'UNE  NOTICE  HISTORIQUE  SUR 
L'ART  DE  LA  GRAVURE,  PAR  P.  P.  CHOFFARD,  SUIVIE  D'UN  PRECIS 

DE    LA   VIE    DE    I/AUTEUR,    ET    ORNEE    DE    SOIXANTE    ESTAMPES, 

ETC.    PARIS,  1809."    2  tom-  8vo- 

The  plates  are  copies  of  select  prints  of  various  engravers,  in- 
tended as  samples  of  their  work. 

"A  CATALOGUE  OF  ENGRAVERS  WHO  HAVE  BEEN  BORN  OR  RE- 
SIDED IN  ENGLAND,  DIGESTED,  BY  HORACE  WALPOLF,  FROM  THE 
MSS.  OF  MR.  GEORGE  VERTUE;  TO  WHICH  is  ADDED,  AN  AC- 


I78  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

COUNT  OF  THE  LIFE  AND  WORKS  OF  THE  LATTER.  STRAWBERRY- 
HILL,  1763."  8vo. 

This  work  was  afterwards  incorporated  into  the  "  Anecdotes  of 
Painting  in  England,"  in  5  vols.  8vo. 

"AN  ESSAY  UPON  PRINTS,  CONTAINING  REMARKS  UPON  THE 
PRINCIPLES  OF  PICTURESQUE  BEAUTY,  THE  DIFFERENT  KINDS  OF 
PRINTS,  AND  THE  CHARACTERS  OF  THE  MOST  NOTED  MASTERS,  IL- 
LUSTRATED BY  CRITICISMS  UPON  PARTICULAR  PIECES  ;  TO  WHICH 
ARE  ADDED,  SOME  CAUTIONS  THAT  MAY  BE  USEFUL  IN  COLLECTING 

PRINTS.    LONDON,  1768."    i2mo. 

This  is  the  work  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gilpin,  noticed  in  a  preceding 
page,  1 20.  It  was,  for  a  long  time,  a  very  popular  book;  it  was 
translated  into  German,  and  published  at  Frankfort  and  Leipsig. 
It  served  Fuesslin  for  the  groundwork  of  his  "  Catalogue  raisonn6," 
presently  noticed.  Huber  and  Rost,  in  their  "  Manuel  des  Curieux," 
which  is  founded  on  Fuesslin' s  work,  observe,  most  truly,  that,  in 
his  characters  of  the  most  noted  engravers,  this  author  is  altogether 
in  error. 

"  A  CHRONOLOGICAL  SERIES  OF  ENGRAVERS,  FROM  THE  INVEN- 
TION OF  THE  ART  TO  THE  BEGINNING  OF  THE  PRESENT  CENTURY, 
WITH  PLATES  AND  INDEX.  CAMBRIDGE,  1770." 

The  compiler  was  C.  Martyn.  The  series  is  brought  down  to 
1735  :  the  name  and  sera  of  the  artists  are  given ;  the  plates  are  of 
monograms. 

"  NOTIZIE    ISTORICHI    DEGLI    INTAGLIATORI,    OPERA   DI    GlOV. 

GORI  GANDINELLI.    SIENESE,  1771."    3  torn.  8vo. 

Huber  says  that  this  is  an  excellent  book,  so  far  as  regards  the 
artists  of  Italy,  but,  as  to  the  rest,  it  is  full  of  errors ;  and  the 
names  of  the  artists  of  other  countries  are  so  mangled  that  they 
are  scarce  recognizable.  A  good  critique,  by  Heinecken,  on  this 
work  is  contained  in  the  "  Nouvelle  Bibliotheque  des  Belles 
Lettres,"  a  German  publication. 

"  LE  PASTEL  EN  GRAVURE,  INVENT^   ET  EXECUTE  PAR  LOUIS 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  179 

BONET,    COMPOSE   DE   HUIT   EPREUVES   QUI    INDIQUENT   LES   DIF- 
FERENS  DEGRES.      PARIS,  1769."      8vo. 

"  IDEE  GENERALE  D'UNE  COLLECTION  COMPLETTE  D'ESTAMPES, 
AVEC  UNE  DISSERTATION  SUR  L'ORIGINE  DE  LA  GRAVURE,  ET  SUR 
LES  PREMIERS  LIVRES  D'lMAGES.  LEIPSIG  ET  VlENNE,  I//!." 
8vo. 

This  is  a  German  work,  by  Heinecken,  who  had  been,  for  more 
than  twenty  years,  the  curator  of  the  Dresden  Gallery.  In  this  his 
"  General  Idea,"  he  included  the  whole  of  that  collection,  and 
added  all  that  he  knew  of  elsewhere,  in  which  it  was  deficient. 
The  practical  utility  of  such  a  compilation  is  not  very  apparent ; 
but  the  dissertation  on  the  origin  of  engraving,  and  on  block-books, 
which  occupies  about  half  the  volume,  is  very  valuable  and  inter- 
esting. It  contains  copies  of  the  most  ancient  block-prints. 

"  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DES  PRINCIPAUX  GRAVEURS  ET  DE 
LEURS  CEUVRAGES,  A  L'USAGE  DES  CURIEUX  ET  DES  AMATEURS, 
PAR  JEAN  CASPAR  FUESSLIN.  ZURICH,  1771."  8vo. 

This  work  is  in  German.  It  formed  the  foundation  of  the 
"  Manuel  des  Curieux,"  by  Huber  and  Rost,  in  which  work  the 
whole  of  it  is  comprised. 

"  L'ART  DE  GRAVER  AU  PINCEAU,  NOUVELLE  METHODE  PLUS 
PROMPTE  QU'AUCUNE  DE  CELLES  QUI  SONT  EN  USAGE,  ETC.,  MISE 
AU  JOUR  PAR  M.  STAPART.  PARIS,  1773."  i2mo. 

This  work  on  aquatinta  was  translated  into  German  by  Harem- 
peter,  and  published  at  Nuremberg,  in  1780. 

"  A  BIOGRAPHICAL  HISTORY  OF  ENGLAND,  FROM  EGBERT  THE 
GREAT  TO  THE  REVOLUTION,  ETC.  ;  WITH  A  PREFACE,  SHEWING 
THE  UTILITY  OF  A  COLLECTION  OF  ENGRAVED  PORTRAITS,  ETC. 
BY  THE  REV.  WM.  GRAINGER.  LONDON,  1775."  4  vols.  8vo. 

This  was  the  first  attempt,  as  the  author  observes  in  his  pref- 
ace, towards  a  methodical  catalogue  of  engraved  British  portraits. 
The  work  was  continued,  by  Mark  Noble,  in  1806,  in  3  vols.  8vo. 
Biographical  notices  are  given  of  the  personages  engraved.  This 


io  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

has  been  a  favorite  book  for  illustration.  Its  utility  to  a  collector, 
for  all  practical  purposes,  is  superseded  by  Bromley's  catalogue 
presently  mentioned. 

"  DlCTIOXXAIRE  DES  ARTISTES,  DONT  NOUS  AVONS  LES  ES- 
TAMPES,  AVEC  UXE  NOTICE  DETAILEE  DE  LEURS  OUVRAGES 

GRAVES.     LEIPSIG,  17/5,"  et  seq.     4  torn.  8vo. 

This  is  an  unfinished  work  of  Heinecken ;  four  volumes  only 
were  printed  when  the  death  of  the  author  took  place.  The  ar- 
rangement is  alphabetical,  and  extends  to  "  Diz."  The  work  was 
complete  in  the  MS.  in  24  vols.  folio,  which,  it  was  calculated, 
would  make,  in  print,  12  vols.  in  8vo.  The  MS.  is  in  the  Electoral 
Library  of  Dresden.  Besides  the  information  expected  in  such  a 
work,  Heinecken,  in  his  account  of  each  artist,  gives  reference  to 
other  publications  in  which  further  particulars  respecting  him  may 
be  found ;  and  he  gives,  also,  a  list  of  portraits  of  all  the  artists  of 
whom  portraits  have  been  engraved.  There  is  a  preface,  contain- 
ing critical  observations  on  former  catalogues,  and  remarks  on  the 
adoption  and  usage,  by  artists  of  different  countries,  of  names  and 
nicknames  ;  and  this  leads  this  author  to  give  his  judgment  in  favor 
of  chronological  arrangement,  which  he  decides  to  be  the  most  use- 
ful and  preferable.  Huber  observes  of  this  work  of  Heinecken, 
"  It  will  form  a  work  that  will  leave  nothing  to  be  desired  by  ama- 
teurs, and  will  include  notice  of  all  that  has  been  engraved,  from 
the  origin  of  the  art  to  the  present  time." 

"  DESCRIZIONE  DELLA  RACOLTA  DI  STAMPE  DEL  CONTE  Du- 

RAZZO,  ESPOSTA  IN  UNA  DISSERTAZIONE  SULL5  ARTE  DELL'  INTAG- 
LIO A  STAMPA.  PARMA,  1784."  4to. 

"  A  BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY,  CONTAINING  AN  HISTORICAL 
ACCOUNT  OF  ALL  THE  ENGRAVERS,  FROM  THE  EARLIEST  PERIOD 
OF  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME,  AND  A  SHORT 
LIST  OF  THEIR  MOST  ESTEEMED  WORKS,  WITH  THEIR  CIPHERS, 
MONOGRAMS,  ETC.  ;  TO  WHICH  IS  PREFIXED,  AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  RISE 
AND  PROGRESS  OF  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING,  BOTH  IX  COPPER  AND 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR.  l8l 

WOOD,  WITH  SEVERAL  CURIOUS  SPECIMENS  OF  THE  PERFORMANCES 
OF   THE    MOST  ANCIENT  ARTISTS.      BY    JOSEPH    STRUTT."      2   vols. 

4to.     London,  1785. 

Huber  observes  that  Strutt  boasts  of  having  added  two 
thousand  artists  to  Basan ;  but  that,  in  this  number,  there  are 
many  who  never  existed,  and  many  others  who  are  catalogued 
twice  over.  The  German  was,  perhaps,  jealous  of  our  country- 
man's labors ;  and  he  might  well  be  so,  for  the  preliminary  essays 
of  Strutt  are  superior  to  anything  of  the  like  nature  which  had  then 
appeared.  They  treat  of  the  origin  and  history  of  the  art,  and  of 
each  school,  and  draw  comparisons  between  the  schools  and  be- 
tween the  artists,  one  with  another,  contrasting  their  methods  and 
styles  in  a  clear,  comprehensive  manner,  of  great  practical  utility. 
Notwithstanding  the  subsequent  publication  of  Bryan's  more  ex- 
tended dictionary,  the  work  of  Strutt  still  maintains  its  reputation. 
It  is  still  a  costly  book,  and  it  is,  perhaps,  to  be  wished  that  some 
one  would  publish  an  edition  of  his  preliminary  essays  as  a  separate 
work. 

"  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING  IN  MEZZOTINTO, 
FROM  ITS  ORIGIN  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME,  INCLUDING  AN  ACCOUNT 
OF  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  EARLIEST  ARTISTS.  WINCHESTER,  1786." 
I2mo. 

This  little  volume,  which  contains  but  a  hundred  pages,  is  by 
Dr.  James  Chelsum.  It  executes,  sensibly  and  well,  what  is  pro- 
fessed in  its  title,  but  the  true  inventor  of  this  art  was  not  then 
known. 

"  NOUVEAUX  MEMOIRES  SUR  LES  ARTISTES  ET  DES  ARTS  PRE- 
MIERE. DRESDE  ET  LEIPSIG,  1786."  8vo. 

This  is  another  work  of  Heinecken  ;  it  contains  critical  remarks 
on  Papillon's  work  on  wood  engraving,  a  catalogue  raisonn6  of  the 
works  of  Albert  Durer,  a  new  essay  on  printing  and  block-books, 
followed  by  a  history  of  engraving  in  Germany,  with  notices  of  un- 
known artists ;  and  it  finishes  with  a  catalogue  raisonn6  of  the 
works  of  Martin  Schoen  and  Von  Mechlen. 


102  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"NOTICES  GENERALES  DES  GRAVEURS,  DIVISES,  PAR  NATIONS, 
ET  DES  PEINTRES,  RANGES  PAR  ECOLES,  PRECEDES  DE  I/HISTOIRE, 
DE  LA  GRAVURE,  ET  DE  LA  PEINTURE,  DEPUIS  L'ORIGINE  DE  CES 
ARTS  JUSQU'A  NOS  JOURS;  ET  SUIVIES  D'UN  CATALOGUE  RAI- 
SONNE  D'UN  COLLECTION  CHOISEE  D'ESTAMPES.  PAR  M.  HUBER. 
DRESD.  ET  LEIPS.  1787."  8vo. 

The  preliminary  discourse  apprises  the  reader  that  the  ground- 
work of  this  book  is  the  catalogue  raisonne  of  the  author's  collec- 
tion of  prints.  It  is  the  first  part  of  this  book  which  treats  of  en- 
gravers ;  the  second  part  treats  of  painters.  Huber  gives  the 
character  of  former  similar  works,  Basan,  Strutt,  Heinecken,  Fuess- 
lin.  The  book  fulfils  the  promise  of  its  title. 

"A  CATALOGUE  OF  ENGRAVED  BRITISH  PORTRAITS,  FROM 
EGBERT  THE  GREAT  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME,  CONTAINING  THE 
EFFIGIES  OF  PERSONS  IN  EVERY  WALK  OF  HUMAN  LIFE,  ETC.  ; 
WITH  AN  APPENDIX,  ETC.  BY  HENRY  BROMLEY.  LONDON, 
1793."  4to. 

This  is  founded  on  Grainger,  but  omits  the  biographical  notices. 
It  is  the  standard  book  of  reference  for  engraved  British  por- 
traits. 

"  MANUEL  DES  CURIEUX  ET  DES  AMATEURS  DE  L'ART,  CONTE- 
NANT  UNE  NOTICE  ABREGE  DES  PRINCIPAUX  GRAVEURS,  ET  UN 
CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  LEURS  MEILLEU.RS  OUVRAGES,  DEPUIS 
LE  COMMENCEMENT  DE  LA  GRAVURE,  JUSQU'A  NOS  JOURS,  LES 
ARTISTES  RANGES  PAR  ORDRE  CHRONOLOGIQUE  ET  DIVISES  PAR 
ECOLE.  PAR  M.  HUBER  ET  C.  C.  H.  ROST.  ZURICH,  1797-1808." 
9  torn.  8vo. 

This  is,  in  great  measure,  a  compilation  from  previous  works. 
The  introduction  contains  some  valuable  matter,  but  more  than 
one  half  of  it  is  translated  or  paraphrased  from  Mr.  Gilpin's  "  Essay 
on  Prints." 

"  MATERIALI  PER  SERVIRE  ALLA  STORIA  DELL'  ORIGINE  ET  DE 
PROGRESSI  DEL  INCISIONI  IN  RAMI  E  IN  LEGNO.  DA  D.  PlETRO 
ZANI.  PARMA,  1802."  8vo. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  183 

"  LE  PEINTRE-GRAVEUR,  PAR  ADAM   BARTSCH.      VIENNA,  1803- 
1821."     21  torn.  I2mo. 

This  is  the  well-known  text-book  of  all  collectors.  It  is  a  cata- 
logue of  the  works  of  engravers,  not  of  all,  but  of  certain  classes; 
and,  as  far  as  it  extends,  is,  or  at  any  rate  was,  at  the  time  of  its 
publication,  the  most  complete,  correct,  and  useful  of  any  that  had 
appeared.  The  first  five  volumes  comprise  the  Dutch  and  Flemish 
schools  ;  the  next  five  the  old  German,  of  which  the  seventh  vol- 
ume is  confined  to  Albert  Durer  and  Van  Leyden  ;  and  to  these 
ten  volumes  the  eleventh  is  a  general  table  of  contents.  The 
twelfth  volume  contains  Italian  artists  in  chiaroscuro ;  the  re- 
mainder of  the  work  is  occupied  with  the  Italian  school ;  the  four- 
teenth being  entirely  composed  of  the  works  of  Marc  Antonio, 
Agostino,  Veneziano,  and  Marco  di  Ravenna  ;  but  in  the  sixteenth 
is  introduced  the  school  of  Fontainbleau.  It  is  thought  well  to 
thus  notice  the  contents  of  the  volumes  of  this  useful  work,  be- 
cause they  are  occasionally  to  be  met  with  in  broken  sets.  Of 
each  artist  a  short  biographical  account  is  given,  and,  in  most  cases, 
critical  observations  on  his  manner  and  work.  All  the  prints  are 
given,  seriatim,  in  classes,  according  to  subject,  each  distinguished 
by  a  number.  Every  print  is  described  very  fully,  and  its  dimen- 
sions given.  The  different  states  are  mentioned,  where  such  there 
are,  and  also  all  the  copies  that  are  known.  The  small  discrepan- 
cies between  the  best  copies  and  their  originals  are  accurately  no- 
ticed, as  characteristics  by  which  to  detect  the  copy  ;  and,  for  better 
instruction  in  this  matter,  many  plates  are  inserted,  in  which  the 
parts  where  the  difference  is  found  are  engraved,  both  as  in  the 
original  and  as  in  the  copy,  side  by  side,  on  an  enlarged  scale.  A 
specimen  of  this  is  exhibited  in  the  vignette  at  the  head  of  our 
third  chapter.  There  are,  also,  many  plates  of  monograms.  In 
the  sixth  volume  is  a  preface,  introductory  of  the  German  school. 
In  the  twelfth  volume  is  an  introduction,  treating  of  the  invention, 
history,  and  practice  of  the  chiaroscuro  method,  and  an  ample  list 


184  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

of  Italian  prints  in  chiaroscuro  ;  and,  in  the  thirteenth  volume,  is 
an  excellent  "  Essai  sur  1'Histoire  de  la  decouverte  de  1'impression 
des  Estampes." 

"  NOTICE  SUR  LES  GRAVEURS  QUI  NOUS  ONT  LAISSE  DES  ES- 
TAMPES, ETC.,  PAR  L'ABBE  BEVEREL  ET  MALPEZ.  BESANCON, 
1807."  2  torn.  8vo. 

"  DlSCOURS   HISTORIQUE   SUR  LA  GRAVURE,  PAR  T.  B.  EMERIC 

DAVID.    PARIS,  1808."    8vo. 

"LECTURES  ON  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING,  DELIVERED  AT  THE 
ROYAL  INSTITUTION  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN,  BY  JOHN  LANDSEER, 
ENGRAVER  TO  THE  KING  AND  F.S.A.  LONDON,  1 807."  8vo. 

The  lecturer  indulged  in  strictures  on  Messrs.  Boydell,  the 
energetic  print-publishers  of  the  day,  and  was  not  allowed  to  con- 
tinue his  lectures. 

THREE  LECTURES  were  delivered  at  the  same  place,  and  pub- 
lished, in  1809  and  1811,  BY  ROBERT  MITCHELL  MEADOWS. 

"  ESSAI  SUR  L'ORIGINE  DE  LA  GRAVURE  EN  BOIS  ET  EN  TAILLE- 
DOUCE,  ET  SUR  LE  CONNOISSANCE  DES  ESTAMPES  DES  15  ET  16  SIE- 
CLES,  OU  IL  EST  PARLE  AUSSI  DE  L'ORIGINE  DES  CARTES  A  JOUER,  ET 
DES  CARTES  GEOGRAPHIQUES,  SUIVI  DE  RECHERCHES  SUR  L'ORIGINE 
DU  PAPIER  DE  COTON  ET  DE  LIN,  SUR  LA  CALLIGRAPHIE  DEPUIS 
LES  PLUS  ANCIENS  TEMPS  JUSQU'A  NOS  JOURS,  SUR  LES  MINIATURES 
DES  ANCIENS  MANUSCRITS,  SUR  LES  FILIGRANES  DES  PAP1ERS  DES 
14,  15,  ET  l6  SIECLES,  AINSI  QUE  SUR  L'ORIGINE  ET  LE  PREMIER 
USAGE  DES  SIGNATURES,  ET  DES  CHIFFRES,  DANS  L'ART  DE  LA 

TYPOGRAPHIE,  AVEC  2O  PLANCHES.   PARIS,  1808."   2  tom.  8vo. 

This  work  is  by  H.  I.  Jansen,  and  answers  fully  to  its  compendi- 
ous title.  The  first  chapter  treats  of  the  principles  of  painting,  as 
applicable  to  prints ;  the  next,  of  the  art  of  engraving,  in  its  differ- 
ent branches ;  the  next,  of  the  qualities  necessary  to  an  engraver  ; 
the  next,  advice  to  collectors.  After  this  follow  treatises  on  each 
of  the  different  schools,  with  comparisons  between  them.  No  cata- 
logues of  artists,  or  of  prints,  are  attempted,  except  that  the 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  185 

eleventh  chapter  contains  a  chronological  notice  of  rare  anony- 
mous prints,  having  dates.  The  twelfth  chapter  is  on  the  inven- 
tion and  manufacture  of  paper,  which  ends  the  first  volume.  The 
second  volume  is  on  calligraphy  and  stereotype ;  at  the  end  is  a 
table  of  authors  consulted,  and  a  general  index.  The  plates  are  cop- 
ies of  rare  specimens,  most  of  them  those  which  are,  also,  fac-similied 
by  Heinecken  and  Strutt.  There  is  one  small  plate  of  monograms, 
and  there  are  eight  folding  plates  of  watermarks,  which  appear  on 
paper  manufactured  in  the  fourteenth,  fifteenth,  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies. 

"  CHALCOGRAPHIA  ;  OR,  THE  ART  OF  IMITATING  CHALK,  BLACK- 
LEAD  PENCIL,  AND  PEN-AND-INK  DRAWINGS,  BY  J.  HASSELL.  LON- 
DON,  I8ll."  4tO. 

"  THE  AMATEUR'S  POCKET  COMPANION  ;  OR,  A  DESCRIPTION  OF 
SCARCE  AND  VALUABLE  ENGRAVED  BRITISH  PORTRAITS,  AS  MEN- 
TIONED IN  THE  WORKS  OF  GRAINGER,  BROMLEY,  NOBLE,  ETC. 
DEDICATED  TO  EARL  SPENCER.  BY  JOHN  MORRIS  FLENDALL. 
LONDON,  1813." 

This  is  little  more  than  an  index  to  the  works  mentioned  in  the 
title-page. 

"  CHALCOGRAPHIANA  :  THE  PRINTSELLER'S  CHRONICLE,  AND 
COLLECTOR'S  GUIDE  TO  THE  KNOWLEDGE  AND  VALUE  OF  EN- 
GRAVED BRITISH  PORTRAITS.  BY  JAMES  CAULFIELD.  1814." 
8vo. 

This  book  consists  of  short  biographical  notices  of  the  artists,  in 
chronological  order.  It  gives  a  list  of  their  prints;  and  the  author 
takes  upon  himself  to  add,  throughout,  the  specific  price  or  value  of 
each  individual  print. 

"  CHALCOGRAPHIMANIA;  OR,  THE  PORTRAIT  COLLECTOR  AND 
PRINTSELLER'S  CHRONICLE;  WITH  INFATUATIONS  OF  EVERY  DE- 
SCRIPTION. A  HUMOROUS  POEM,  IN  FOUR  BOOKS,  WITH  COPIOUS 
NOTES  EXPLANATORY.  BY  SATIRICUS  SCULPTOR,  ESQ.  CACOE- 
THES  CARPENDI.  LONDON,  1814."  8vo. 


1 86  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

In  this  not  very  successful  attempt  at  facetiousness  is  related 
the  story,  though  not  correctly  told,  of  Deighton,  the  caricaturist, 
offering  to  sale  a  rare  etching  by  Rembrandt,  and  the  detection 
which  took  place  of  Deighton's  embezzlements  from  the  British 
Museum,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Woodburn  going  thither  to  com- 
pare the  print. 

"A  CATALOGUE  OF  PORTRAITS  OF  FOREIGNERS  WHO  NAVE 
VISITED  ENGLAND,  AS  NOTICED  BY  LORD  CLARENDON,  HEATH  IN 
HIS  CIVIL  WARS,  THURLOE  IN  HIS  STATE  PAPERS,  ETC.,  ETC.  BY 
JAMES  CAULFIELD.  LONDON,  1814."  Svo. 

"  AN  INQUIRY  INTO  THE  ORIGIN  AND  EARLY  HISTORY  OF  EN- 
GRAVING UPON  COPPER  AND  IN  WOOD,  WITH  AN  ACCOUNT  OF 
HEGRAVERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS,  FROM  THE  INVENTION  OF  CHAL- 
COGRAPHY, BY  MASO  FlNIGUERRA,  TO  THE  TIME  OF  MARC  ANTO- 
NIO RAIMONDI.  BY  WILLIAM  YOUNG  OTTLEY,  F.S.A.  LONDON, 
1816."  2  vols. 

This  book  answers  to  its  title-page,  which  it  fully  justifies.  The 
account  of  the  ancient  engravers  is  full  and  minute  ;  an  entire  cata- 
logue is  given  of  the  works  of  each  ;  of  several  of  the  most  ancient 
and  rare  prints  fac-similes  are  given.  The  book  closes  with  a  full 
index.  It  is  an  excellent  work. 

"  A  BIOGRAPHICAL  AND  CRITICAL  DICTIONARY  OF  PAINTERS 
AND  ENGRAVERS,  FROM  THE  REVIVAL  OF  THE  ART  UNDER  ClMA- 
BUE,  AND  THE  ALLEGED  DISCOVERY  OF  ENGRAVING  BY  FlNIGU- 
ERRA, TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME,  WITH  THE  CIPHERS,  ETC.,  ETC.  BY 

MICHAEL  BRYAN.    LONDON,  1816."    2  vols.  4to. 

This  book  includes  the  whole  of  Strutt's  "  Dictionary  of  En- 
gravers," and  Pilkington's  "  Dictionary  of  Painters,"  with  much 
additional  matter.  It  is  now  the  universal  book  of  reference  of  its 
class. 

"  MANUEL  DE  L' AMATEUR  D'ESTAMPES  FAISANT  SUITE  AU 
MANUEL  DU  LIBRAIRE,  ETC.  PAR  E.  JOUBERT,  PERE,  GRAVEUR, 
ETC.  PARIS,  1820."  3  torn.  Svo. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  187 

The  title-page  fully  and  justly  details  the  contents  of  these  vol- 
umes, and  we  therefore  transcribe  it.  "  I.  Les  remarques  qui  de- 
terminent  le  merite  et  le  priorite  des  epreuves.  2.  Les  caracteres 
auxquels  on  distingue  les  originaux  d'avec  les  copies.  3.  Les  prix 
que  les  pieces  capitales  peuvent  conserver  dans  le  commerce,  en 
raison  de  leur  rarete  et  de  1'opinion  des  amateurs.  4.  Des  tableaux 
seculaires  offrant  les  artistes  contemporains  sur  des  lignes  annuelles 
et  a  toutes  les  epoques  desirables.  Le  tout  precede  d'un  essai  sur 
le  genie,  consider^  comme  principe  des  beaux  arts  ;  des  recherches 
sur  la  decouverte  et  1'epoque  de  1'impression  des  estampes ;  d'un 
coup  d'oeil  general  sur  1'etat  de  la  gravure  en  Europe  ;  et  considera- 
tions sur  1'impression  lithographique  dans  ses  rapports  avec  la 
gravure  en  taille-douce." 

"  IL  FIORE  DELL'ARTE  DELL  INTAGLIO  NELLE  STAMPE.  GAU- 
DIO.  PADUA,  1823."  4to. 

Only  1 20  copies  of  this  book  were  printed. 

"  NOTICE  DES  ESTAMPES,  EXPOSEES  A  LA  BIBLIOTHEQUE  DU 
ROI,  PRECEDE  D'UN  ESSAI  SUR  L'ORIGINE  L'ACCROISSEMENT,  ET  LA 
DISPOSITION  METHODIQUE  DU  CABINET  DES  ESTAMPES.  PAR 
DUCHESNE,  AINE.  PARIS,  1823."  8vO. 

"  ESSAI  SUR  LES  NIELLES,  GRAVURES  DES  ORFEVRES  FLO- 
RENTINS  DU  I  5  SIECLE.  PAR  DUCHESNE,  AINE.  PARIS,  1826." 
8vo. 

This  is  the  text-book  on  nielli ;  the  first  published  on  this  sub- 
ject exclusively. 

"  AN  ESSAY  ON  THE  UTILITY  OF  COLLECTING  THE  BEST  WORKS 
OF  THE  ANCIENT  ENGRAVERS  OF  THE  ITALIAN  SCHOOL,  ACCOMPA- 
NIED BY  A  CRITICAL  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  ENGRAVERS  OF  A  CHRON- 
OLOGICAL SERIES  OF  RARE  AND  VALUABLE  PRINTS,  FROM  THE 
EARLIEST  PRACTICE  OF  THE  ART  IN  ITALY  TO  THE  YEAR  1549, 
NOW  DEPOSITED  IN  THE  BRITISH  MUSEUM  AND  ROYAL  ACAD- 
EMY  IN  LONDON.  BY  GEORGE  CUMBERLAND.  LONDON,  1827." 
4to. 


1 88  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 

An  introductory  essay  is  prefixed  to  this  work,  which  endeav- 
ors to  exalt  all  works  of  the  Italian  school,  to  the  depreciation  ot 
all  others.  It  gives  some  instruction  to  collectors  with  respect  to 
selecting  impressions ;  it  gives  a  tolerably  full  account  of  each  ar- 
tist mentioned,  and  a  detailed  description  of  every  print  noticed, 
and  with  critical  observations.  At  the  end  are  two  plates  of  mono- 
grams. It  contains  a  catalogue  of  the  works  of  Julio  Bonasoni, 
collected  by  the  author,  and  now  in  the  British  Museum. 

"A  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  OF  THE  SELECT  COLLECTION  OF 
ENGRAVINGS  OF  AN  AMATEUR.  LONDON,  1828."  4to. 

The  amateur  and  author  is  Mr.  Wilson,  whose  collection  has 
been  since  dispersed.  This  volume  was  not  published,  but  printed 
for  private  circulation  only.  It  contains  the  best  catalogue  of  the 
etchings  of  Ostade.  The  collection  consisted,  for  the  most  part,  of 
rare  states  and  extraordinary  impressions. 

"  A  COLLECTION  OF  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  TWENTY-NINE  FAC- 
SIMILES OF  SCARCE  AND  CURIOUS  PRINTS,  BY  THE  EARLY  MASTERS 
OF  THE  ITALIAN,  GERMAN,  AND  FLEMISH  SCHOOLS,  ILLUSTRA- 
TIVE OF  THE  HISTORY  OF  ENGRAVING,  ETC.  BY  WM.  YOUNG 

OTTLEY,  F.A.S.    LONDON,  1828."     Folio. 

Mr.  Ottley  had  nothing  to  do  with  this  book,  beyond  the  writ- 
ing of  the  preface  and  the  lending  of  his  name.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  got  up  by  a  person  named  Walker,  having  few  or  no  qualifica- 
tions for  such  a  publication.  Many  of  the  prints,  of  which  fac- 
similes are  given,  are,  by  no  means,  of  the  rarity  which  their  intro- 
duction into  such  a  work  implies.  There  is  a  long  introduction, 
containing  an  account  of  the  early  use  of  wood-engraving  in  Eu- 
rope, and  of  the  invention  of  chalcography.  It  is  very  copious,  and 
discusses  fully  the  subject  and  the  questions  arising  out  of  it. 

*  LA  CALCOGRAFIA.    G.  LONGHI.    MILAN,  1830."    8vo. 

"  MEMORIE  SPETTANTI  ALLA  STORIA  DELLA  CALCOGRAFIA  DEL 
COMMENDI  CONTE  LEOPOLDO  ClCOGNARA.  PRATO,  1831."  8vo, 
with  a  folio  volume  of  plates. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  189 

"MONOGRAMMEN  LEXICON,  BY  J.  HELLER.      BAMBERG,  1831." 

"  DlCTIONNAIRE  DES  MONOGRAMMES,  MARQUES,  FIGUREES, 
LETTRES  INITIALES,  NOMS  ABREGES,  ETC.,  AVEC  LESQUELS  LES 
PEINTRES,  DESSINATEURS,  GRAVEURS,  ET  SCULPTEURS  ONT 
DESIGNE  LEURS  NOMS.  PAR  FRANCOIS  BRULLIOT.  MUNICH, 
1832-3."  4to. 

This  is  a  corrected  and  enlarged  edition  of  a  work,  first  pub- 
lished in  1817,  and  is  exceedingly  copious.  It  is  now  the  standard 
text-book  on  its  subject. 

"  LE  PEINTRE-GRAVEUR  FRANCOIS,  PAR  ROBERT  DUMESNIL, 
A.P.F.  1835,  ETSEQ."  I2MO. 

"  This  work  is  in  progress,  and  six  volumes  are  published  ;  it 
is,  in  a  manner,  a  continuation  of  Bartsch's  "  Peintre-graveur,"  but 
confined  to  the  French  school  only.  It  appropriates  to  the  French 
school  some  engravers  who  have  hitherto  been  generally  classed  in 
some  other. 

"  LE  CLASSICHE  STAMPE  DAL  COMMENCIAMENTO  DELLA  CAL- 
COGRAFIA  FINO  AL  PRESENTE  COMPRESI  GLI  ARTISTI  VIVENTI 
DESCRITTE  E  CORREDATE  DI  STORICHE  E  CRITICHE  OSSERVA- 

ZIONI  DI  GIULIO  FERRARIO.    MILAN,  1836."    8vo. 

"  HlSTOIRE    DE   LA   GRAVURE   EN   MANIERE   NOIRE,    PAR   LEON 

DE  LABORDE.    PARIS,  1839."    8vo. 

Of  this  work  only  three  hundred  copies  were  printed.  The  in- 
troduction occupies  thirty  pages,  with  a  history  of  the  claims  of  the 
reputed  inventors  ;  and  twenty-two  more  with  notices  of  the  family 
of  Seigen,  from  various  documents,  during  three  centuries.  The 
first  chapter,  of  nine  pages,  is  confined  to  the  origin  of  the  family 
of  Seigen,  and  the  birth  and  education  of  Louis  dc  Seigen.  After 
this  follows  the  account  of  the  invention  of  the  art,  and  the  exten- 
sion of  its  practice.  A  fac-simile  is  inserted  of  a  letter  from  Count 
Seigen  to  Prince  Rupert,  communicating  the  secret  of  the  inven- 
tion. A  catalogue  is  given  of  a  collection  of  mezzotinto  engrav- 
ings by  artists  who  lived  before  1720.  A  chapter  of  twenty-eight 


1 90  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

pages  is  devoted  to  Le  Blon's  method  of  printing  in  color.  The 
book  closes  with  an  appendix,  containing  notices  of  artists  em- 
ployed at  Hesse  Cassel  from  1550  to  1650,  with  their  monograms. 

"A  TREATISE  ON  WOOD-ENGRAVING,  HISTORICAL  AND  PRAC- 
TICAL, WITH  UPWARDS  OF  THREE  HUNDRED  ILLUSTRATIONS, 
ENGRAVED  ON  WOOD,  BY  JOHN  JACKSON.  LONDON,  1839."  8vO. 

A  most  comprehensive  and  excellent  work.  It  treats  elabo- 
rately of  the  antiquity  and  history  of  the  art,  its  progress,  decline, 
and  revival ;  and  fully,  also,  of  its  practice.  The  illustrations  com- 
prise several  most  exquisite  specimens  of  the  perfection  to  which 
cutting  in  wood  has  been  brought,  as  well  in  subjects  in  which  it  is 
most  effective  as  in  others  to  which,  perhaps,  it  is  not  judiciously 
applicable. 

"  UNTERSUCHUNG  DER  GRUNDE  FUR  DIE  ANNAHINE  DASS 

MASO  DI  FlNIGUERRA  ERFINDER  DES  HANDGRIFFES  SEI  GESTE 
CHEVE  METALL  FLATTEN  AUF  GENETZTES  PAPIER  ABZUDRUCKEN. 

VON  C.  FR.  VON  RUMOHR.    LEIPSIG,  1841." 

"THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING,  WITH  THE  VARIOUS  MODES  OF 
OPERATION,  ETC.,  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  SPECIMENS  OF  THE  DIF- 
FERENT STYLES  OF  ENGRAVING.  BY  T.  H.  FIELDING.  LONDON, 
1841."  8vo. 

"  HISTOIRE  DE  L'ART  EN  ALLEMAGNE,  PAR  RACKNISKY."  3, 
torn.  4to,  and  a  folio  volume  of  plates. 

This  is  an  extensive  and  costly  work,  just  published  in  French. 

"  NEUVES  ALLGEMEINES  KUNSTLER  LEXICON,  ETC.  G.  K. 
NAGLER.  MUNCHIN,  1835,  ET  SEQ."  8vo. 

A  very  compendious  German  work,  of  which  twelve  volumes, 
extending  to  nearly  the  end  of  letter  R,  are  published,  and  the 
work  is  continuing. 

"THE  COMPLETE  AQUATINTER,  BEING  THE  WHOLE  PROCESS 
OF  ENGRAVING,  AND  ENGRAVING  IN  AQUATINTA,  THE  USE  OF 
AQUA-FORTIS,  WITH  ALL  THE  TOOLS  NECESSARY.  LONDON.'" 
4tO. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  191 

"  SUPPLEMENTS  AU   PEINTRE-GRAVEUR  DE  ADAM  BARTSCH, 

RECUEILLIS      ET      PUBLIES      PAR      RUDOLPH     WEIGEL.      LEIPSIG, 

1843." 

Only  the  first  volume  of  this  work  is,  as  yet,  published. 

We  ought  to  notice,  though  it  be  but  a  tract  in  a  large  work, 
the  "TRAITE  SUR  L'ART  DE  LA  GRAVURE,"  which  appears  at  the 
head  of  the  third  volume  of  the  "  Musee  de  France,"  published  by 
Robillard. 

It  will  have  been  observed  that,  upon  many  books  contained  in 
the  preceding  catalogue,  we  have  abstained  from  all  observation. 
Of  such  works  it  is  to  be  understood  that  they  answer,  with  more 
or  less  correctness,  to  what  is  professed  by  their  titles,  and  do  not 
call  for  any  special  notice,  condemnatory  or  recommendatory. 
There  are  very  many  of  which  it  might  have  been  noted  that  they 
are  superseded  by  later  publications  ;  but  this  is  left  to  be  assumed, 
and  it  probably  will  be  so.  Jackson's  treatise,  for  instance,  on 
wood-engraving,  has  superseded  Papillon.  Bryan  has  made  obso- 
lete Basan,  and  all  previous  dictionaries,  even  Strutt,  except  his 
preliminary  essays.  Bartsch,  Dumesnil,  and  Nagler,  render  useless 
the  prior  labors  of  the  earlier  catalogue-makers,  so  far  as  respects  ar- 
tists to  whom  these  modern  publications  extend  ;  and  all  the  early 
histories  of  the  art  are,  more  or  less,  concentrated  in  Mr.  Ottley's 
work. 


192  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


CATALOGUES  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  INDIVIDUAL 
ENGRAVERS. 


Of  catalogues  of  this  description,  which  are  included  in  or 
appended  to  books,  there  have  been  already  noticed  the  follow- 
ing: 

In  the  "  Cabinet  des  Singularitez,"  etc.,  by  Le  Comte,  among 
others  who  are  wholly  or  chiefly  painters,  not  engravers,  are  cata- 
logues of  NANTEUIL,  the  SADELERS,  PETER  TESTA,  with  the 
CARACCI,  RUBENS,  and  VANDYCK.  These  are  all  very  incorrect, 
and  too  deficient  in  detail  to  be  of  any  use. 

In  the  "  Idee  de  la  Gravure"  is  a  catalogue  of  the  works  of 
MARCENAY  ;  in  Basan's  "  Dictionnaire,"  JORDAENSand  CORNELIUS 
VISSCHER  ;  in  Heinecken's  "  New  Memoirs,"  etc.,  ALBERT  DURER, 
MARTIN  SCHOEN,  and  VON  MECKELEN. 

In  the  sale  catalogue,  by  E.  F.  Gersaint,  of  the  prints  of  M. 
Quintin  de  1'Orangerie,  published  at  Paris  in  1744,  is  found  a  cata- 
logue raisonne  of  the  works  of  CALLOT,  BELLA  BELLA,  LE  CLERC, 
and  B.  PlCART. 

"  CATALOGUE  DES  ESTAMPES  GRAVEES  D'APRES  P.  P.  RUBENS, 
JACQUES  JORDAENS,  ET  DE  CORNEILLE  VISSCHER;  ET  ou  L'ON 

TROUVE    UN    SECRET    POUR   BLANCHER   LES    ESTAMPES.      PAR.    R. 

HECQUET.    PARIS,  1751."     i2mo. 

"  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  TOUTES  LES  PIECES  QUI  FORMENT 
L'CEUVRE  DE  REMBRANDT,  COMPOSE  PAR  FEU  M.  GERSAINT,  ET 
MIS  AU  JOUR  AVEC  LES  AUGMENTATIONS  NECESSAIRES.  PAR 
LES  SIEURS  HELLE  ET  GLOMY.  PARIS,  1751." 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  193 

Gersaint  was  the  first  person  who  undertook  the  drawing  up  of  a 
catalogue  raisonne  of  prints,  by  the  very  voluminous  artist,  Rem- 
brandt van  Rhyn.  The  prints  are  numbered,  and  are  arranged  in 
classes,  beginning  with  portraits  of  Rembrandt,  by  himself,  and  por- 
traits resembling  him  ;  next,  subjects  from  the  Old  Testament, 
then  the  New,  and  then  devotional ;  next,  fancy  subjects,  beggars, 
free  subjects,  studies,  landscapes,  portraits,  heads.  After  these 
follows  a  catalogue  of  pieces  attributed  to  Rembrandt,  but  doubt- 
fully ;  then,  subjects  and  portraits,  after  him,  by  different  masters  ; 
and,  lastly,  catalogues  of  the  works  of  his  principal  scholars,  FER- 
DINAND BOL,  VAN  ULIET,  and  LIEVENS.  Every  print  is  minutely 
described,  its  dimensions  noted,  and  also  the  variations  of  the  dif- 
ferent proofs  and  states  ;  also  the  copies  that  have  been  made  from 
them. 

In  making  this  catalogue,  Gersaint  availed  himself  of  the  collec- 
tion of  James  Houbraken,  the  engraver,  who  had  bought  that  of 
Burgomaster  Six,  the  friend  and  patron  of  Rembrardt.  Messrs. 
Helle  and  Glomy  had  scrutinized  the  most  celebrat  ,d  collections 
in  Paris,  such  as  those  of  Marolles  and  Beringhen,  at  the  King's 
Library ;  of  Coypel,  the  king's  chief  painter ;  of  Silvestre,  the 
king's  draughtsman ;  M.  de  Julienne  ;  M.  d'Argenville  ;  M.  Potier, 
etc. 

An  English  translation  of  this  catalogue  was  published  by  T. 
Jeffreys,  London,  1752. 

To  this  catalogue,  Pierre  Yver,  a  printseller  of  Amsterdam,  pub- 
lished a  supplement.  It  was  merely  an  extension  of  it,  and  partly 
a  correction  ;  but,  although  it  corrected  many  errors,  it  occasioned 
new  ones.  It  was  published,  in  I2mo,  at  Amsterdam,  in  1756. 

"A  DESCRIPTIVE  CATALOGUE  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  REMBRANDT, 
AND  OF  HIS  SCHOLARS,  BOL,  LlEVENS,  AND  VAN  ULIET,  COM- 
PILED FROM  THE  ORIGINAL  ETCHINGS,  AND  FROM  THE  CATA- 
LOGUES OF  DE  BURGY,  GERSAINT,  HELLE  AND  GLOMY,  MARCUS, 
AND  YVER.  BY  DANIEL  DAULBY.  LIVERPOOL,  1796."  8vo. 

This  is  a  further  extension  of  the  former  catalogues,  and  by  an 


194  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

English  author.  It  is  preceded  by  observations  on  the  works  of 
Rembrandt,  and  some  memoranda  of  his  life.  This  is  the  catalogue 
by  which  collections  of  Rembrandt's  prints,  in  England  at  least, 
are  now  generally  arranged.  The  De  Burgy,  named  in  the  title- 
page,  was  the  proprietor  of  a  very  large  collection  of  Rembrandt's 
prints,  at  the  Hague.  Marcus  was  a  person,  of  whose  prints  a  cata- 
logue was  published,  on  occasion  of  a  sale  which  took  place  of 
them  in  1770. 

"  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  TOUTES  LES  ESTAMPES  QUI 
FORMENT  L'CEUVRE  DE  REMBRANDT  ET  CEUX  DE  SES  PRINCI- 
PAUX  IMITATEURS,  COMPOSES  PAR  LES  SlEURS  GERSAINT,  HELLE, 
GLOMY,  ET  P.  YVERS.  NOUVELLE  EDITION,  ENTIEREMENT  RE- 
FONDUE,  CORRIGEE,  CONSIDERABLEMENT  AUGMENTEE,  PAR  ADAM 

BARTSCH.    VIENNE,  1797.'' 

This  work  is  an  extension  of  the  former  catalogues,  and  pro- 
ceeds on  a  similar  plan.  In  it  are  three  folding  plates,  exhibiting 
the  differences,  in  a  variety  of  instances,  between  the  originals  and 
copies  of  many  of  the  prints,  and  between  different  states  of  the 
same  original. 

"CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  TOUTES  LES  ESTAMPES  QUI  FOR- 
MENT L'CEUVRE  DE  REMBRANDT  ET  DES  PRINCIPALES  PIECES 

DE     SES    ELEVES    COMPOSE     PAR    LES    SlEURS   GERSAINT,    HELLE, 

GLOMY,  ET  P.  YVER.  NOUVELLE  EDITION,  CORRIGEE  ET  CON- 
SIDERABLEMENT AUGMENTEE,  PAR  M.  LE  CHEV.  DE  CLAUSSIN. 

PARIS,  1824." 

This  catalogue  is  a  still  further  extension  of  the  former,  and  is 
more  accurate  and  particular  in  its  description,  and  corrects  former 
mistakes. 

"  SUPPLEMENT  AU  CATALOGUE  DE  REMBRANDT,  ETC.,  ON  Y  A 
JOINT  UNE  DESCRIPTION  DES  MORCEAUX  QUI  LUI  ONT  ETE 
FAUSSEMENT  ATTRIBUES,  ET  DE  CEUX  DES  MEILLEURS  GRAVEURS 
D'APRES  SES  TABLEAUX  ou  DESSINS,  PAR  M.  LE  CHEV.  DE 
CLAUSSIN.  PARIS,  1828." 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  195 

The  title  sufficiently  explains  the  work.  At  the  end  is  a  table, 
showing  the  correspondence  between  the  numbers  by  which  the 
prints  are  classified  by  Bartsch,  and  the  new  numbers  by  which 
Claussin  marks  them. 

"  A    DESCRIPTIVE   CATALOGUE  OF  THE  PRINTS  OF  REMBRANDT, 

BY  AN  AMATEUR.    LONDON,  1836."    8vo. 

The  amateur  is  Mr.  Wilson,  the  catalogue  of  whose  collection 
of  prints  has  been  mentioned.  This  work  professes  to  be  built  on 
the  English  foundation  of  Daulby,  of  which  it  is  an  extension.  At 
the  end  is  a  table  of  correspondence  of  numbers. 

"  CATALOGUE  DE  L'CEUVRE  DE  F.  DE  POILLY.     1752." 

This  catalogue  is  by  C.  A.  Jombert,  a  bookseller  and  amateur 
at  Paris. 

"  CATALOGUE  DE  L'CEUVRE  DE  FRANCOIS  DE  POILLY,  JEAN 
VlSSCHER,  ET  PHILIP  WOUVERMAN,  PAR  R.  HECQUET.  PARIS, 

1752."       I2IT10. 

"CATALOGUE    DE    L'CEUVRE    DE   C.    N.   COCHIN,    FILS.      PARIS, 

1770."     8vo. 

This  is  by  C.  A.  Jombert,  mentioned  above. 

"  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  INGENIOUS  DELIN- 
EATOR AND  ENGRAVER,  WENCESLAUS  HOLLAR.  SECOND  EDI- 
TION, WITH  ADDITIONS,  BY  GEORGE  VERTUE.  LONDON,  1759." 

4to. 

"CATALOGUS  VAN  ALLE  DE  PRENTEN  VAN  NICHOLAS  BER- 
CHEM,  ETC.  AMSTERDAM,  1767." 

This  catalogue  is  by  Henry  de  Winter,  and  is  called,  by  Hein- 
ecken,  a  much  esteemed  work;  but  it  is  in  Dutch,  and  is  now  quite 
superseded  by  the  "  Peintre-Graveur"  of  Bartsch,  in  which  the 
whole  of  it  is  included. 

"  ESSAI     DU     CATALOGUE     DE     L'CEUVRE     DE    LA     BELLA,     PAR 

CH.  ANT.  JOMBERT.     PARIS,  1792."    8vo. 

"CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  L'CEUVRE  DE  GEORGE  FRED. 
SCHMIDT,  PAR  HUBER.  LONDON,  1789." 


196  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"  CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DES  ESTAMPES  GRAVES  A  L'EAU  FORTE 
PAR  GUIDO  RENT,  ET  DE  CELLES  DE  SES  DISCIPLES,  PAR  ADAM 
BARTSCH.  VIENNE,  1795."  i2mo. 

"CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DE  TOUTES  LES  ESTAMPES  QUI 
FORMEI.T  L'CEUVRE  DE  LUCAS  DE  LEYDEN,  PAR  ADAM  BARTSCH. 
1798."  8vo. 

The  catalogues,  aftenvards  inserted  by  Bartsch,  of  these  artists, 
in  his  "  Peintre-Graveur,"  supply  several  deficiencies  in  these  cata- 
logues of  Guido  and  Van  Leyden.  A  list  of  Van  Leyden's  engrav- 
ings is  given  by  Meusel,  in  his  "  Nouveaux  Melanges,"  etc. 

"  CATALOGUE  DE  LA  COLLECTION  DE  MESSIRE  DEL  MARMOL, 
CONSEILLER  DE  BRABANT,  CONTENANT  L*UN  DES  PLUS  BEAUX 
(EUVRES  QUI  AIENT  ETE  FORMES  DES  ESTAMPES  GRAVEES  D'APRES 
RUBENS,  ETC.  1794."  8vo. 

"A  COLLECTION  AND  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  WHOLE  OF  THE 
WORKS  OF  THE  CELEBRATED  JAQUES  CALLOT,  CONSISTING  OF 
ONE  THOUSAND  FOUR  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  PIECES,  ETC.,  BY 

J.  H.  GREEN.     LONDON,  1804."     12010. 

A  short  life  of  Callot  is  prefixed,  as  also  some  observations  on 
his  works,  which,  however,  are  merely  transcribed  from  Strutt. 
The  catalogue  classes  the  prints  by  subjects;  describes  each,  and  no- 
tices different  states  ;  but  does  not  give  the  dimensions.  Catalogues 
of  Callot's  works  are  also  found  in  the  "  Eloge  historique  par  le 
pere  Husson,"  published  at  Brussels,  in  1766,  in  4to  ;  and  also  in 
several  catalogues  of  collections,  as  presently  mentioned. 

A  catalogue  of  the  copper-plate  engravings  of  ALBERT  DURER 
was  published,  in  1778,  in  German,  by  H.  S.  Husgen,  of  which 
Bartsch  says  that  it  is  very  incorrect,  omits  many  rare  prints,  and 
does  not  describe  the  copies. 

Bartsch  mentions  a  catalogue  of  the  works  of  ALBERT  DURER, 
by  an  anonymous  author,  published,  in  1805,  at  Dessau,  and  which, 
he  says,  is  a  mere  compilation  of  what  had  gone  before. 

"  CATALOGO  DELLE  OPERE  D'INTAGLIO  DI.RAFFAELLO  MOR- 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  197 

GHEM  RACCOLTE  ET  ILLUSTRATE  DE  N.  PALMERINI.  FlRENZE, 
1824."  8vo. 

BERVIC'S  engravings  are  enumerated  in  the  sale  catalogue  pub- 
lished of  his  collection  after  his  death,  entitled  "  CATALOGUE  D'UN 

CHOIX    PRECIEUX   D'ESTAMPES   DE   CELEBRES   GRAVEURS   SUR  FEU 

M.  BERVIC,  PAR  REGNAULT  DE  LA  LANDE.  PARIS,  1822." 
8vo. 

"  LEBEN  UND  WERKE  ALBRECHT  DURERS,  ETC.,  PAR  J. 
HELLE.  LEIPSIG,  1831."  Being  the  Life  of  Albert  Durer,  with  a 
catalogue  of  his  works. 

Only  one  volume  of  this  work  has  been  published,  and  that  not 
the  first  ;  two  more  are  promised.  The  catalogue,  contained  in  this 
volume,  of  the  prints  by  Albert  Durer,  is  the  most  perfect  and  full 
of  any  hitherto  published,  and  it  attempts  explanations  of  the 
allegorical  subjects  or  mysterious  thoughts  of  this  philosophical 
artist. 

"  ELOGE  HISTORIQUE,  PAR  M.  DUGAS  DE  MONTBEL,  AVEC 

LE  CATALOGUE  DES  OUVRAGES  DE  M.  DE  BOISSEAU.  LYONS, 
1840." 

The  editor  of  the  "  Impostures  innocentes  de  BERNARD  PIC- 
ART,"  folio,  Amsterdam,  1734,  has  given,  at  the  end  of  that  work 
a  catalogue  of  all  the  prints  composing  the  works  of  that 
artist. 

The  engravings  by  SCHELTIUS  BOLSWERT,  after  Rubens,  are 
enumerated  in  the  catalogue,  which  has  been  already  noticed,  of 
the  works  of  that  painter. 

By  the  completeness  of  collections,  formed  occasionally  of  some 
one  artist's  engravings,  the  sale  catalogues  of  such  collections 
amount  to  a  catalogue  of  his  works.  In  this  way  we  are  presented, 
in  the  Paignon  Dijonval  catalogue,  composed  by  M.  Morel  de 
Vinde,  4to,  Paris,  1810,  with  a  list  of  the  works  of  CALLOT, 
VANDYCK,  and  DREVET.  And  we  have  VANDYCK,  again,  in  the 
catalogue  of  the  Del  Marmol  collection,  in  1794;  in  that  of  AH- 


I98  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

bert,  in  1803  ;  and,  again,  as  also  CALLOT,  in  that  of  SlLVESTRE,  in 
1810;  and  CALLOT,  again,  in  the  catalogue  of  the  Baron  de  Non. 
A  list  of  SUYDERHOOF'S  engravings  appears  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
Mariette  collection  ;  and  of  JULIO  COMPAGNOLA'S,  in  those  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham  and  Mr.  Ottley. 

The  Rigal  catalogue,  which  has  been  already  spoken  of,  is  en- 
titled "CATALOGUE  RAISONNE  DES  ESTAMPES  DU  CABINET  DE 

M.  LE  COMPTE   RIGAL,  PAR  F.  L.  REGNAULT  DE  LA  LANDE, 

PEINTRE  ET  GRAVEUR.      PARIS,  1 8 1/."      8vo. 

Of  the  numerous  prints  called  "  Hogarth's,"  most  of  the  minor 
plates,  and  several  of  the  principal  ones,  were  engraved  by  himself ; 
but  others  were  engraved  by  himself,  in  conjunction  with  some 
other  artist,  and  the  rest  by  other  engravers,  without  any  part 
taken  by  himself.  The  engravings  executed  wholly,  or  partially, 
by  Hogarth,  are  nowhere  separately  catalogued.  The  catalogues 
that  have  been  published,  of  Hogarth's  works,  include  all  prints 
published  by  him,  after  his  own  designs,  by  whomsoever  engraved  ; 
and  a  compendium  of  the  whole  is  comprised  in  the  last  edition  of 
Nichols'  "Anecdotes  of  Hogarth."  London,  1839.  8vo. 


APPENDIX. 


/  V ' 


APPENDIX. 


TREATING  OF  THE  PRACTICE  OF  THE  ART  OF  ENGRAVING,  WITH 
THE  VARIOUS  MODES  OF  OPERATION,  UNDER  THE  FOLLOWING 
DIFFERENT  DIVISIONS — VIZ.  :  ETCHING,  SOFT-GROUND  ETCH- 
ING, LINE  ENGRAVING,  AQUATINT,  MEZZOTINT,  CHALK  AND 
STIPPLE,  WOOD  ENGRAVING,  AND  LITHOGRAPHY. 

ETCHING. 

IN  the  following  instructions  we  shall  consider  etching,  not  as 
the  beginning  of  line  engraving,  or  as  practised  by  line  engravers, 
but  as  generally  executed  by  painte'rs.  In  this  style  the  needle 
and  aquafortis  are  the  only  means  employed,  the  graver  being  sel- 
dom called  into  action,  and  the  parallel  ruler  for  ruling  flat  tints 
never.  Prints  from  plates  done  in  this  manner  are  generally 
termed  painters'  etchings,  to  distinguish  them  from  those  made  by 
the  line  engraver  ;  and  as  their  worth  is  derived  from  the  skill  in 
drawing  possessed  by  the  person  who  etches  them,  so  every  at- 
tempt to  imitate  the  engraver's  beautiful,  but  more  or  less  mechan- 
ical arrangement  of  lines,  will  only  deprive  the  artist  of  that  facil- 
ity of  drawing  and  freedom  of  execution  by  which  his  works  ought 
to  be  distinguished. 

The  process  of  etching  consists  in  covering  a  metal  plate  with  a 
varnish  called  etching-ground,  through  which  the  lines  composing 
the  subject  are  drawn  with  a  sharp-pointed  etching-needle,  cutting 
through  the  varnish  into  the  surface  of  the  plate  ;  these  lines  are 
afterwards  corroded  with  an  acid  till  of  a  sufficient  depth  :  but  be- 


202  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

fore  we  proceed  to  the  details  of  the  process,  we  shall  enumerate 

and  describe  the  various  objects  which  may  be  wanted,  and  which 

are  as  follow  : 

ETCHING-GROUND.  This  is  to  be  had  at  all  the  shops  where 
they  sell  engraving  materials  ;  but  for  those  who  wish  to  make  it 
themselves,  the  following  recipe  will  be  found  one  of  the  best  : 

'  To  two  ounces  of  asphaltum  add  one  of  Burgundy  pitch,  and  an 
ounce  and  a  half  of  white  virgin  wax.  The  asphaltum  must  be 
finely  powdered,  and  then  melted  in  a  glazed  earthen  vessel  over  a 
moderate  fire,  before  the  Burgundy  pitch  is  put  in  ;  the  wax  must 
be  added  last,  when  the  whole  composition  must  be  well  stirred, 
and  then  poured  into  warm  water,  to  be  further  incorporated  by 
means  of  the  hands,  and  made  up  into  balls."  When  used,  a  ball 
ought  to  be  tied  up  in  a  piece  of  stout  silk  cloth. 

TRANSPARENT  ETCHING-GROUND  may  be  made  by  putting  one 
ounce  of  common  resin  and  two  ounces  of  virgin  wax  into  a  glazed 
pipkin  ;  set  it  over  a  gentle  fire  until  it  simmers,  and  when  cool  it  is 
fit  for  use,  and  is  laid  in  the  same  way  as  the  common  etching- 
ground,  except  that  instead  of  being  smoked  it  must  be  warmed 
with  a  piece  of  writing-paper  after  being  dabbed.  A  very  good 
transparent  etching-ground  may  be  made  by  covering  the  plate 
with  thin  turpentine  varnish,  in  which  a  small  quantity  of  oxide  of 
bismuth  has  been  mixed  ;  this  should  be  laid  on  very  evenly  with  a 
camel's-hair  brush,  and  has  the  property  of  showing  the  original 
etching  in  the  plate,  over  which  it  is  laid,  much  better  than  the 
former  transparent  ground,  as  it  is  less  dazzling.  Great  care,  how- 
ever, is  requisite  to  have  the  right  quantity  of  oxide  ;  if  too  much, 
the  work  over  which  it  is  laid  will  scarcely  be  visible  ;  if  too  little, 
the  ground  becomes  dazzling.  After  it  has  been  laid  a  day  or  two 
on  the  plate,  this  ground  is  apt  to  become  brittle,  which  may  be 
remedied  by  warming  it  gently  at  the  fire,  or  heating  the  plate  a 
little.  Oxide  of  bismuth  is  sold  at  most  chemists,  and  should  be 
impalpable. 


APPENDIX.  203 

TURPENTINE  VARNISH  may  be  bought  at  all  the  color-shops,  or 
may  be  made  by  putting  common  resin  into  a  bottle  of  spirits  of 
turpentine,  and  then  setting  the  bottle  in  an  oven,  or  near  the  fire, 
till  the  resin  is  quite  melted. 

BRUNSWICK  BLACK,  used  for  stopping  out  or  covering  any  lines 
that  are  not  correctly  etched,  may  also  be  bought  at  all  the  oil  and 
color  shops.  If  not  to  be  had,  a  piece  of  etching-ground,  dissolved 
in  spirits  of  turpentine,  will  answer  the  same  purpose. 

BORDERING  WAX  is  made  by  melting  over  a  slow  fire  in  a 
glazed  pot  three  pounds  of  Burgundy  pitch,  one  pound  of  bees- 
wax, to  which  is  added,  when  melted,  a  gill  of  sweet-oil.  When  it 
has  been  melted  a  little  time,  take  it  off  to  cool  ;  then  pour  it  into 
water,  and  afterwards  pull  it  well  to  make  the  ingredients  unite 
more  intimately.  It  may  be  bought  at  all  shops  which  sell  engrav- 
ing materials. 

A  HAND-VICE,  not  less  than  five  inches  in  length,  will  be 
wanted  to  hold  the  plate  while  heating  it. 

ETCHING-NEEDLES  (Plate  I,  Fig.  i)  should  be  of  three  or  four 
different  degrees  of  fineness.  To  sharpen  them  well  requires  some 
degree  of  manual  dexterity  and  practice.  First,  grind  the  point  on 
a  flat  Turkey  stone,  or  hone,  turning  the  needle  round  in  your  fin- 
gers while  rubbing  it  on  the  stone  ;  next,  take  the  handle  of  your 
needle  between  the  palms  of  your  hands,  and  placing  the  point  in  a 
groove  on  the  hone,  turn  it  rapidly  round  by  rubbing  your  hands 
against  each  other,  backwards  and  forwards,  in  different  directions  ; 
then  rub  them  on  a  strap,  prepared  with  washed  flour  of  emery 
and  tallow,  to  take  off  any  roughness  and  make  them  perfectly 
round.  When  used  for  dry-pointing,  the  etching-needle  should 
only  be  sharpened  on  the  flat  hone,  so  as  to  procure  an  angle  on 
one  side  of  the  point,  to  cut  with,  and  ought  not  to  be  strapped. 

THE  GRAVERS  (Plate  I,  Fig.  5)  should  be  of  different  forms,  from 
the  extreme  lozenge  to  the  square,  the  lozenge  being  for  fine  and 
the  square  for  broad  lines.  To  sharpen  the  belly,  or  sharp  edge  of 


204  777^  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 

the  graver,  requires  great  nicety.  Lay  one  of  the  flat  sides  of  the 
graver  on  the  oilstone,  keeping  the  right  arm  close  to  the  side,  and 
the  forefinger  of  the  left  hand  pressed  upon  that  side  of  the  graver 
which  is  uppermost  ;  next,  sharpen  the  other  side  the  same  way. 
The  face  or  point  is  sharpened  by  holding  it  firmly  in  your  hand, 
with  the  belly  upwards,  in  a  slanting  position  ;  then  rub  it  back- 
wards and  fonvards  on  the  stone,  taking  care  to  carry  it  evenly 
along,  and  not  to  make  more  than  one  face  on  the  point  ;  this  be- 
ing done,  hold  the  graver  a  little  more  perpendicularly  to  square  the 
point,  which  will  be  done  in  a  very  short  time,  as  it  should  not  be 
squared  too  much. 

THE  SCRAPER  (Plate  I,  Fig.  2)  should  be  three-sided,  and  fluted, 
as  they  are  easier  to  sharpen  :  it  is  used  to  take  off  the  burr  left  by 
the  etching-needle  or  dry-point. 

THE  BURNISHER  (Plate  I,  Fig.  3)  is  used  to  soften  lines  which 
have  been  bit  too  dark.  We  recommend  the  kind  used  by  mezzo- 
tint engravers  as  being  the  best  form  for  all  kinds  of  neat  and  deli- 
cate work  (Plate  I,  Fig.  4). 

THE  OIL-RUBBER  should  be  made  of  woollen  cloth,  rolled  up  as 
tight  as  possible,  and  tied  round  with  string  ;  one,  six  or  seven 
inches  long  and  two  inches  or  two  inches  and  a  half  in  diameter,  is 
sufficiently  large  for  almost  all  purposes.  Where  a  small  one  is 
wanted,  a  piece  of  cloth  laid  over  your  forefinger  may  be  advan- 
tageously used,  or  a  piece  of  very  soft  cork  will  do.  The  oil-rub- 
ber is  used  with  oil  alone,  or  with  oil  and 

WASHED  FLOUR  OF  EMERY,  which  is  emery  in  a  state  of  im- 
palpable powder,  and  of  the  greatest  use  in  rubbing  down  parts 
that  are  too  dark,  as  is  also 

EMERY  PAPER,  not  such  as  is  used  by  servants  to  clean  iron  uten- 
sils, but  such  as  is  made  with  washed  flour  of  emery,  and,  like  it, 
only  to  be  had,  I  believe,  at  some  of  the  great  ironmongers,  or  at 
some  of  the  coppersmiths.  When  washed  flour  of  emery  is  not  to 
be  had,  crocus  martis  may  be  used,  but  is  not  so  good. 


c 


APPENDIX.  205 

.  CHARCOAL  is  also  used,  with  either  oil  or  water,  in  rubbing 
down  dark  parts,  or  taking  out  blemishes  in  copper  plates  :  to  be 
procured  best  at  your  coppersmith's,  who  will  give  you  the  kind 
you  want. 

A  CAMEL' S-HAIR  BRUSH  with  very  long  hair  will  be  wanted, 
to  sweep  off  loose  varnish  while  etching  ;  some  small  ones  for  stop- 
ping out,  and  larger  ones  for  laying  on  transparent  ground,  and 
varnishing  broad  parts  of  the  plate. 

THE  DABBER  (Plate  I,  Fig.  14),  to  lay  the  etching-ground  even, 
is  made  by  tying  up  cotton-wool  very  tight  in  a  piece  of  silk,  which 
should  be  as  even  as  possible,  without  any  threads  larger  than  the 
rest.  We  recommend  fine  wool  instead  of  cotton  wool ;  and  if  it  is 
laid  very  thick  on  a  round  piece  of  cardboard,  three  inches  in 
diameter,  and  a  double  silk  stretched  over  it  and  tied  behind,  so  as 
to  make  a  soft  elastic  even  cushion,  well  raised  in  the  middle,  it 
will  be  found  more  convenient  to  handle  than  the  common  dabber. 

THE  BRIDGE,  or  REST,  is  a  thin  board  planed  smooth,  with  the 
edges  sloped  off,  and  of  a  length  and  breadth  proportioned  to  the 
size  of  the  plate  you  are  working  upon.  At  each  end  is  fastened  a 
piece  of  wood  sufficiently  high  to  raise  it  above  the  plate  when  the 
wall  of  wax  is  on.  There  should  also  be  another,  much  lower,  to 
be  used  in  etching,  before  the  wall  is  made. 

THE  BLIND,  or  SHADE,  is  made  of  tissue-paper,  stretched 
upon  a  frame,  and  placed  between  your  work  and  the  light,  to  en- 
able you  to  see  better  on  the  surface  of  the  bright  copper.  A  very 
convenient  one  is  made  in  the  following  manner  :  Take  a  heavy 
piece  of  wood  about  fifteen  inches  long,  three  inches  broad,  and 
one  inch  thick  ;  then  take  about  one  yard  of  stiff  wire,  and  place 
the  ends  of  it  in  each  end  of  the  wood,  so  as  to  form  an  arch,  over 
which  stretch  tissue-paper,  and  you  may  bend  the  wire  so  as  to 
throw  the  light  in  any  direction  you  may  require. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  objects,  it  is  necessary  to  have  a 
Turkey  stone,  or  hone,  a  couple  of  glass  bottles  with  glass  stoppers, 


206  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

one  of  them  with  a  small  mouth  capable  of  holding  a  pound  of 
pure  nitrous  acid,  the  other  with  a  wide  mouth  and  capable  of  con- 
taining a  pint  or  more,  according  to  the  size  of  the  work  which  will 
have  to  be  covered,  of  diluted  nitrous  acid.  When  bottles  with 
glass  stoppers  are  not  to  be  procured,  a  common  bottle  with  a  wax 
stopper  will  do  for  the  pure  nitrous  acid,  which  it  is  better  to  reduce 
in  strength,  by  adding  exactly  the  same  quantity  of  water,  to  pre- 
vent its  destroying  the  wax  stopper,  which  it  soon  would  if  left 
the  full  strength  :  the  wide-mouthed  bottle  may  be  advantageously 
replaced  by  a  pint  pitcher,  on  which  a  piece  of  wood  may  be  laid, 
that  the  strength  may  not  evaporate.  Should  architecture  form 
the  subject  of  the  plate  to  be  etched,  a  tee-square  and  brass- 
edged  parallel  ruler  will  be  wanted.  A  pair  of  steel  screw  com- 
passes will  also  be  useful  for  etching  arches. 

Copper  or  steel  plates  are,  or  ought  to  be,  sufficiently  well  pol- 
ished when  brought  home  from  the  coppersmith's,  to  admit  of  hav- 
ing the  etching-ground  laid  upon  them  without  any  further  prepara- 
tion ;  but  the  former  being  a  softer  metal,  is  extremely  liable  to 
get  scratched  or  the  polish  destroyed.  When  this  is  the  case,  the 
scratches  ought  to  be  burnished,  and  the  burnisher's  marks  taken 
out  by  oil-rubbing  the  plate  with  washed  flour  of  emery  and  sweet- 
oil  ;  when  the  scratches  are  too  deep  to  be  effaced  with  the  bur- 
nisher, they  may  be  taken  out  with  the  scraper,  which  must  be 
used  very  lightly,  so  as  not  to  scratch  ;  the  scraper-marks  must 
then  be  taken  out  by  rubbing  the  place  either  with  charcoal  and 
oil  or  a  piece  of  cloth  on  the  finger  with  emery  and  oil.  //  may  be 
as  well  to  remark  here  that  whenever  the  word  emery  is  used  in  this 
work,  washed  flour  of  emery  is  to  be  understood. 

Sometimes,  however,  it  happens  that  the  scratch  is  too  deep,  or 
a  line  or  point  bit  in  so  strongly  as  not  to  admit  of  being  effaced 
either  by  the  burnisher  or  the  scraper.  In  this  case  recourse  must 
be  had  to  the  process  of  knocking  up,  an  operation  requiring  great 
nicety  and  dexterity,  and  which  we  shall  briefly  describe. 


APPENDIX.  207 

The  instruments  required  are — a  polished  steel  anvil,  a  hammer 
(Plate  I,  Fig.  13)  having  a  head,  with  one  end  flat,  and  the  other 
with  a  rounded  point,  and  a  pair  of  calliper  compasses.  These  last 
are  easily  made  out  of  a  pair  of  iron  compasses,  such  as  are  used  by 
carpenters  and  coopers,  by  heating  the  points,  and  then  bending  a 

« 

quarter  of  an  inch  of  each  inwards,  so  that  they  shall  exactly  meet, 
leaving  a  space  of  half  an  inch  between  the  two  legs  (Plate  I, 
Fig.  1 6).  By  placing  the  plate  between  the  legs  of  the  compasses, 
with  one  of  the  points  on  the  spot  to  be  effaced,  you  can  easily 
mark  on  the  back  with  the  other  point  the  place  immediately  oppo- 
site to  it.  The  plate  is  then  placed  with  the  part  to  be  effaced  on 
the  anvil,  and  struck  at  the  back  with  the  round  end  of  the  ham- 
mer, till  the  line  or  hole  is  filled  up.  The  jarring  of  the  plate  in 
the  hand,  and  the  noise  of  the  hammer,  will  sufficiently  indicate 
whether  the  part  of  the  surface  immediately  opposite  to  where  you 
strike  is  fairly  on  the  anvil  or  not.  Before,  however,  you  proceed 
to  the  actual  hammering,  the  work  on  the  part  to  be  effaced  must 
be  carefully  taken  out  with  an  instrument  called  a  scooper  (Plate  I, 
Fig.  6),  so  as  to  leave  a  clean  smooth  hollow. 

When  the  part  to  be  effaced  is  very  minute,  an  iron  punch  is 
used,  and  the  plate  must  then  be  held  on  the  anvil  by  an  assistant, 
whilst  you  hold  the  punch  steadily  with  the  left  hand,  on  the  spot 
marked  at  the  back  with  the  compasses,  and  strike  it  gently,  but 
smartly,  with  the  hammer,  till  the  place  is  filled  up. 

However  neatly  the  operation  of  knocking  up  is  performed,  the 
lines  of  the  etching  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  part  knocked 
up  will  be  more  or  less  weakened  or  effaced,  and  will  want  re-etch- 
ing with  a  transparent  ground,  or  working  up  to  their  original 
strength  with  the  graver.  It  often  happens,  also,  that  the  part 
effaced  is  raised  above  the  level  of  the  plate,  in  which  case  it  must 
be  brought  down  with  the  scraper,  and  afterwards  finished  with  the 
charcoal. 

When  a  new  plate  has  been  oil-rubbed,  the  oil  is  first  wiped  off 


208  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

with  a  rag ;  it  is  then  washed  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  and  after 
that  is  wiped  off,  is  cleaned  and  polished  with  a  dry  rag  and  whit- 
ing ;  it  is  then  ready  for  an  etching-ground,  which  is  laid  in  the 
following  manner  : 

Fasten  the  plate  in  the  hand-vice,  and  hold  it  with  the  surface 
upwards  over  a  charcoal  fire,  or  heat  it  with  pieces  of  paper,  till  so 
hot  that  you  cannot  bear  your  finger  on  it  ;  then  rub  the  etching- 
ground,  wrapped  up  in  a  piece  of  silk,  backwards  and  forwards,  till 
the  plate  is  covered  as  evenly  as  you  can  with  the  ground,  which, 
melting  with  the  heat,  oozes  through  the  silk.  Next,  with  the 
dabber,  dab  the  plate  gently  all  over  till  it  appears  of  the  same 
color,  as  it  is  darkest  on  those  places  where  there  is  most  etching- 
ground,  and  continue  the  dabbing  till  the  plate  begins  to  cool,  and 
no  longer.  Then,  whilst  the  ground  is  yet  warm,  take  a  candle,  or, 
what  is  still  better,  a  wax  taper  twisted  together,  so  that  six  or 
more  flames  unite  in  one,  and,  cutting  the  wicks  short,  hold  them 
under  the  plate  turned  with  the  ground  downwards,  and  keep  the 
flame  moving  backwards  and  forwards  till  every  part  of  the  ground 
is  of  a  shining  black  color.  The  greatest  care  must  be  taken  never 
to  let  the  flame  remain  a  moment  in  the  same  place,  as  the  ground 
would  burn,  which  is  easily  seen  by  its  becoming  dull  and  cracked. 
When  cold,  the  plate  is  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  design. 

As  a  subject  is  seldom  etched  upon  a  plate  at  once  without  a  pic- 
ture, or  at  least  an  outline  on  paper,  having  previously  been  made, 
we  must  now  describe  the  various  methods  of  reducing,  tracing, 
and  transferring  the  tracing  on  to  the  plate. 

When  the  picture  is  larger  than  the  plate  on  which  you  intend 
to  copy  it,  take  a  pair  of  compasses  and  divide  the  top  and  bottom 
into  an  equal  number  of  parts,  marking  each  part  on  the  edge  of 
the  picture  with  a  pencil  or  chalk  ;  then  with  the  compasses  in  the 
same  position  measure  off  along  the  sides  of  the  picture,  beginning 
at  the  bottom,  as  many  parts  as  the  sides  will^contain,  so  that  the 
remainder  or  fraction  of  a  square,  if  any,  may  be  at  the  top  ;  for  it 


APPENDIX.  209 

seldom  happens  that  the  same  measure  which  equally  divides 
the  top  and  bottom  of  a  picture  will  also  equally  divide  the 
sides,  and  it  is  better  that  the  picture  be  marked  out  into  perfect 
squares,  leaving  only  a  line  of  imperfect  squares  along  the  top,  than, 
as  usually  recommended,  by  dividing  the  sides  equally  as  well  as 
the  top  and  bottom,  cut  the  picture  into  a  set  of  long  squares. 
You  can  now,  if  an  oil  painting,  draw  lines  either  with  a  black 
water-color,  which  is  easily  cleaned  off  afterwards  by  a  sponge,  if 
the  picture  be  light,  or  white  water-color,  if  dark  :  or  if  the  subject 
be  a  painting  in  water-colors,  wrap  round  it  threads  from  top  to 
bottom,  and  from  side  to  side  ;  take  a  piece  of  smooth  writing- 
paper  the  size  of  the  intended  subject  (which  must  always  be  so 
much  less  than  the  plate  as  to  leave  at  least  half  an  inch  or  more 
of  margin  all  around)  and  divide  it  with  a  pen  and  a  pale  tint  of  lake 
or  vermilion  into  exactly  the  same  number  of  squares  as  the  pic- 
ture ;  then  with  an  F,  HB,  or  B  pencil,  copy  whatever  is  in  each 
square  of  the  picture  into  the  corresponding  square  on  your  paper, 
and,-  to  prevent  mistakes,  number  the  squares  both  on  the  painting 
and  the  paper.  This  being  done,  damp  the  paper  well,  fix  it  with 
the  face  downwards  on  the  etching-ground  with  wax  at  one  side, 
and  let  the  printer  pass  it  through  a  moderately  tight  rolling-press, 
by  which  means  the  pencil-marks  will  be  transferred  to  the  ground, 
so  that  the  subject  will  appear  reversed,  in  fine  silvery  lines. 

When  the  subject  you  mean  to  copy  is  to  be  the  same  size  on 
the  plate,  take  a  piece  of  thick  transparent  tracing-paper,  and  fast- 
ening it  firmly  to  the  painting  by  turning  a  part  of  it  over  the  top 
and  pasting  it  behind,  trace  the  outline  with  a  blacklead  pencil, 
and  then  transfer  it  to  the  ground  as  directed  above.  To  make 
tracing-paper,  mix  together  equal  parts  of  spirits  of  turpentine  and 
drying  oil,  and  with  a  rag  or  piece  of  cotton-wool  rub  it  evenly 
over  a  sheet  of  tissue-paper,  which  must  be  hung  to  dry  for  a  day 
or  two.  Thick  tracing-paper  may  be  made  with  very  smooth  thin 
writing-paper. 


210  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

When  no  rolling-press  is  to  be  had,  another  method  must  be 
pursued  to  transfer  the  outline  to  the  etching-ground.  Having 
made  the  tracing  or  reduction  on  thin  transparent  paper,  take  a 
piece  of  the  thinnest  and  smoothest  foreign  letter-paper,  or,  what  is 
still  better,  a  piece  of  glazed  tissue-paper,  and  rub  it  evenly  over 
with  vermilion,  chrome-yellow,  white-lead,  or  any  other  light  color 
in  impalpable  powder  till  well  covered.  Then  having  turned  down 
the  tracing  on  to  the  plate,  and  fastened  it  with  wax  at  the  top 
edge,  place  the  vermilion  paper  between  it  and  the  ground  with  the 
color  side  downwards,  and  with  a  blunt-pointed  etching-needle, 
called  a  tracing-point,  go  over  the  outline,  using  a  moderate  pres- 
sure, by  which  means  it  will  be  transferred  in  color  to  the  etching- 
ground.  A  still  quicker  method  is  often  used,  but  one  which  re- 
quires the  greatest  delicacy  as  well  as  firmness  of  touch,  and  a  tracing 
point  perfectly  rounded  so  as  not  to  cut  the  paper  and  so  injure  the 
ground.  It  is  to  rub  the  front  of  the  tracing  itself  with  vermilion, 
and  lay  it  on  the  plate  so  as  to  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  an 
intermediate  colored  paper. 

The  bridge  being  placed  over  it,  the  plate  is  now  ready  for  the 
commencement  of  the  etching,  and  but  few  instructions  are  requi- 
site to  enable  the  painter  to  proceed  without  difficulty.  The  etch- 
ing-needles with  the  most  tapering  points  should  be  used  for  the 
skies  and  distance,  pressing  more  heavily  and  changing  them  for 
others  as  we  approach  the  foreground,  sharpened,  with  a  thicker 
point  made  by  holding  it  more  perpendicularly  on  the  stone,  so  as 
to  give  a  broader  and  deeper  line.  Wherever  the  ruler  is  used  for 
buildings,  ship-masts,  etc.,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  lines 
made  with  it  will  be  much  darker  than  those  made  by  the  hand,  so 
that  a  much  less  pressure  is  required  ;  and  it  should  be  the 
endeavor  of  every  one  who  wishes  to  give  a  pleasing  effect  to  his 
work,  to  etch  with  an  equal  pressure,  so  as  to  produce  lines  of  the 
same  strength  wherever  a  flat  tint  is  wanted,  as  in  the  shade  side  of 
a  house,  a  mass  of  distant  trees,  etc.  It  is  of  course  needless  to 


APPENDIX.  2 1 1 

mention  that  the  closer  the  lines  are  laid  together  the  darker  will 
be  the  part  so  etched,  and  where  extreme  depth  is  wanted  it  is 
usual  to  cross  the  lines  ;  this,  however,  looks  better  when  the  lines 
that  cross  the  others  are  done  with  a  second  transparent  ground. 
Wherever  any  error  has  been  made  the  part  must  be  covered 
evenly,  and  not  too  thickly,  with  a  camel's-hair  pencil  dipped  in 
Brunswick  black,  and  when  dry  the  lines  re-etched  through  it.  We 
must  here  remark  that  the  etching  must  always  penetrate  so  well 
through  the  etching-ground  as  to  scratch  the  metal  ;  and  when  the 
plate  is  steel,  it  is  better,  as  much  as  possible,  to  avoid  breathing 
upon  it,  as  the  slightest  humidity  will  often  rust  it.  Steel  plates, 
when  no  longer  wanted  by  the  printer,  ought  to  be  well  cleaned, 
and  then  covered  with  white  wax  by  heating  them,  and  then  pass- 
ing the  wax  over  them. 

Though  the  shade  sides  of  white  objects  may  generally  be 
etched  and  bit  in  with  aquafortis,  it  is  better  to  do  them  with  the 
dry  point,  which  is  peculiarly  well  adapted  for  the  fur  and  hair  of 
white  animals,  the  light  of  white  drapery,  light  clouds  and  sky,  and 
extreme  distances. 

It  is  difficult,  nor  is  it  indeed  the  province  of  this  work,  to  give 
further  directions  to  the  painter  as  to  the  manner  of  his  work.  It 
depends  entirely  on  his  skill  in  drawing,  and  his  facility  in  using 
the  pen  or  pencil  ;  on  his  taste  in  the  choice  of  his  subject,  and  his 
knowledge  of  general  or  particular  effects  in  the  arrangement  of 
forms,  and  the  disposition  of  lights,  shades,  etc. 

The  etching  being  finished,  the  plate  must  be  carefully  exam- 
ined, and  all  accidental  scratches  stopped  out  with  Brunswick 
black.  When  this  is  dry,  a  wall  or  border  is  put  round  the  plate, 
which  is  done  by  softening  the  bordering  wax  in  warm  water  till 
perfectly  ductile  ;  it  is  then  pulled  out  into  straps  about  six  inches 
long,  one  inch  broad,  and  a  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  and  the  edge 
pressed  down  immediately  before  it  cools  on  the  margin,  and  the 
thumb  of  the  left  hand  passed  along  the  inner  edge  with  a  strong 


212  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

pressure  so  as  to  squeeze  the  wax  close  down  to  the  plate  :  another 
piece  is  to  be  immediately  joined  to  the  first,  and  so  on  till  the 
plate  is  surrounded,  leaving  a  spout  at  one  corner  to  pour  off  the 
acid. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  exact  rules  for  biting-in,  but  the  following 
will  be  found  sufficient.  Procure  some  strong  nitrous  acid,  and 
then  mix,  in  a  wide-mouthed  bottle,  one  part  of  the  acid  with  five 
parts  of  water,  adding  to  it  a  small  portion  of  sal-ammoniac,  in  the 
proportion  of  the  size  of  a  hazelnut,  to  one  pint  of  acid,  when 
mixed  for  biting.*  The  advantage  of  using  the  sal-ammoniac  is, 
that  it  has  the  peculiar  property  of  causing  the  aquafortis  to  bite 
more  directly  downwards,  and  less  laterally,  by  which  means  lines 
laid  very  close  together  are  less  liable  to  run  into  each  other,  nor 
does  the  ground  so  readily  break  up,  by  thus  preventing  the  natural 
tendency  to  lateral  erosion.  Pour  the  mixture,  when  cool  (nitrous 
acid  becoming  warm  when  mixed  with  water),  on  to  the  plate,  and 
leave  it  to  bite  in  the  delicate  parts  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
sweeping  off  the  bubbles  as  they  form  on  the  plate  with  an  old 
camel's-hair  brush  or  feather  ;  take  off  the  acid,  wash  the  plate 
with  water,  and  dry  it  either  by  blowing  with  bellows  or  pressing 
on  it  gently  with  a  piece  of  blotting-paper  ;  stop  out  with  Bruns- 
wick black  those  parts  which  are  sufficiently  bit  in  ;  again  put  on 
the  acid,  let  it  remain  twenty  minutes  or  half  an  hour,  to  give  the 
next  degree  of  depth,  wash  and  stop  out  as  before,  and  leave  the 
acid  on  for  half  or  three  quarters  of  an  hour  for  the  last  biting,  as 
three  bites  are  generally  sufficient  for  most  painters'  etching. 

The  wall  is  now  to  be  taken  off  by  warming  the  margin  of  the 
plate  at  the  back  with  a  piece  of  lighted  paper  ;  it  is  then  to  be 
washed  clean  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  then  oil-rubbed,  then  again 
washed  with  spirits,  and  after  being  wiped  dry  may  be  taken  to  the 
printer's  for  a  proof. 

*  We  should  have  earlier  observed  that  biting,  or  biling-int  is  the  technical  term  for 
eroding  the  copper  that  has  been  laid  bare  by  the  etching-needle. 


APPENDIX.  213 

The  process  of  biting-in,  described  above,  is  only  applicable  to 
copper  plates  ;  for  steel  plates  another  method  is  pursued,  which  is 
as  follows  : 

Mix  together 

Pyroligneous  acid i  part. 

Nitric  acid i  part. 

Water 6  parts. 

In  biting  in  with  this  composition  the  first  tint  will  be  only  on 
and  off,  washing  the  plate  immediately  with  water,  and  never  using 
the  same  water  twice  ;  when  washed,  the  plate  must  be  set  on  one 
edge,  and  blown  dry  with  bellows  as  soon  as  possible  to  prevent 
rusting. 

If  pyroligneous  acid  is  not  to  be  had,  from  sixty  to  seventy 
drops  of  nitric  acid  to  one  pint  of  water  will  do  nearly  as  well. 

In  biting  in  steel,  one  minute  will  be  generally  found  long 
enough  for  the  darkest  tint. 

If,  on  examining  the  proof,  all  or  part  of  the  etching  is  found 
too  weak,  it  may  be  made  stronger  either  by  etching  over  it  with  a 
transparent  ground,  or,  when  the  tint  is  not  too  delicate,  by  rebit- 
ing,  in  which  case  a  rebiting  ground  must  be  laid  ;  which  is  per- 
formed in  the  following  manner  : 

Clean  the  plate  well  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  then  wash  it 
with  pure  water  of  potass,  which  is  to  be  had  at  the  chemist's  ;  next 
rinse  the  plate  with  perfectly  clean  water  several  times,  till  entirely 
free  from  the  potass,  and  wipe  it  quite  dry  with  a  clean  rag.  This 
being  done,  heat  a  spare  piece  of  copper  or  steel  plate,  on  which  melt 
some  etching-ground,  then  with  a  silk  dabbcr  (a  new  one  is  best) 
take  up  a  small  quantity,  and  having  previously  heated  the  plate 
which  is  to  be  rebit,  dab  it  very  lightly  all  over,  and  continue  till 
every  part  of  the  surface  is  well  covered  with  the  ground,  leaving 
the  lines  perfectly  clear.  This  is  an  operation  which  requires  great 


214  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

patience  and  the  utmost  delicacy  of  touch,  and  as  it  takes  consider- 
able time,  the  plate  must  be  heated  very  often  to  keep  up  the  same 
degree  of  warmth,  which  is  extremely  difficult.  For  this  reason  it 
is  better  to  employ  the  following  method,  which  is  now  generally 
used  by  most  engravers,  not  only  for  rebiting,  but  also  for  common 
etching-grounds :  Procure  a  tin  box  twelve  inches  long,  nine 
broad,  and  three  deep,  without  any  opening,  except  a  hole  at  one 
corner,  by  which  it  is  to  be  filled  with  hot  water.  This  is  placed 
on  a  stand  so  as  to  admit  of  a  small  charcoal  stove  underneath,  by 
which  the  water  must  always  be  kept  at  a  boiling  heat.  The  plate 
is  laid  on  this  box,  and  by  this  means  kept  at  an  uniform  tempera- 
ture, so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  burning  the  ground,  which  so 
often  happens  when  the  plate  is  heated  in  the  common  way. 
When  the  ground  is  cold,  a  wall  may  be  put  round  it,  and  the  sub- 
ject bit  in  as  before. 

Should  it  be  intended  to  rc-ctcJi  the  plate,  a  transparent  ground 
must  be  laid,  the  manner  of  doing  which  we  have  already  described 
under  the  head  of  TRANSPARENT  GROUND. 

A  well-practised  etcher,  after  each  biting-in,  takes  off  a  very 
small  portion  of  the  ground,  and  can  then  judge  in  what  manner  it 
will  print.  He  then  stops  out,  or  passes  over  all  the  lines  which 
may  be  sufficiently  deep,  with  Brunswick  black,  and  proceeds  with 
the  rest  as  we  have  already  mentioned. 

When  any  line  or  small  part  is  too  dark,  it  may  be  made  lighter 
with  the  burnisher  ;  but  when  any  broad  tint  or  the  whole  of  the 
plate  is  too  dark,  the  quickest  way  is  to  rub  it  down  with  the 
emery-paper  before  mentioned.  This,  however,  should  be  well 
rubbed  on  a  piece  of  copper  or  steel,  to  take  off  the  sharpness, 
which  might  othenvise  scratch,  and  even  then  it  will  leave  a  mark, 
which  would  show  strongly  in  the  proof  if  not  first  taken  out  with 
soft  charcoal  and  oil,  and  then  polished  with  the  oil-rubber. 

A  pleasing  way  of  giving  more  effect  to  an  etching,  when  fin- 
ished, is  to  take  off  the  polish  of  the  plate  with  the  emery-paper,  by 


APPENDIX.  215 

which  means  a  delicate  tint  is  laid  all  over  it,  and  on  which  the 
lights  on  clouds,  white  figures,  water,  etc.,  may  be  burnished. 
Pumice-stone  finely  powdered  and  sifted  through  muslin,  and 
rubbed  on  with  a  rag,  will  do  the  same  ;  and  Rembrandt  often,  by 
leaving  the  surface  of  the  plate  only  partially  cleaned  from  the 
printing-ink,  when  proving,  produced  a  singular  effect  on  some  of 
his  etchings. 

When  etching  or  engraving  by  lamp-light,  we  recommend  the 
use  of  a  globe  of  water,  placed  between  the  lamp  and  the  plate,  as 
described  under  the  head  of  Wood  Engraving. 

We  shall  conclude  with  a  short  account  of  ETCHING  ON  GLASS, 
a  process  which,  we  are  afraid,  is  more  curious  than  useful.  The 
glass  employed  should  be  a  piece  of  the  best  plate,  which  must  be 
covered  with  a  mixture  of  lamp-black  and  turpentine  varnish. 
When  dry,  the  subject  is  etched  in  the  same  way  as  on  copper  ; 
and  as  soon  as  finished  a  wall  is  put  round,  and  fluoric  acid  poured 
over  the  glass,  on  which  it  will  require  to  be  left  five  or  six  hours 
exposed  to  the  sun  before  the  work  is  sufficiently  corroded.  In 
winter  the  glass  is  but  slightly  acted  upon  in  four  days,  and  would 
never  be  finished  if  not  placed  in  a  very  hot  room. 

SOFT-GROUND   ETCHING. 

Etching  on  soft-ground  is  a  style  of  engraving  formerly  much 
employed  to  imitate  chalk  or  pencil  drawings.  Since  the  invention 
of  lithography,  however,  it  has  been  almost  entirely  abandoned, 
though  for  those  who  live  too  far  from  any  town  where  a  litho- 
graphic press  is  established,  it  will  be  found  a  great  source  of 
amusement,  as  the  rapidity  and  facility  with  which  it  is  executed 
will  often  tempt  those  who  have  not  sufficient  patience  to  pursue 
the  more  tedious  operation  of  etching  on  hard-ground. 

Soft-ground  for  winter  use  is  made  by  adding  one  part  of  hog's 
lard  to  three  parts  of  common  etching-ground  ;  but  for  warm 
weather,  less  hog's  lard  is  required.  The  ground  is  laid  and 


2l6  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

smoked  in  the  same  way  as  the  hard  etching-ground,  taking  care 
that  nothing  touches  it  after  it  is  done  till  the  paper  is  laid  on. 

The  process  is  as  follows  :  Draw  the  outline  of  your  subject 
faintly  on  a  piece  of  smooth  thin  writing-paper,  which  must  be  at 
least  an  inch  larger  every  way  than  the  plate  ;  then  dampen  it,  and 
spread  it  cautiously  on  the  ground,  and,  turning  the  edges  over, 
paste  them  down  to  the  back  of  the  plate  :  in  a  few  hours  the 
paper  will  be  dry,  and  stretched  quite  smooth.  Resting  your  hand 
on  the  bridge,  take  an  H  or  HB  pencil,  and  draw  your  subject  on 
the  paper  exactly  as  you  wish  it  to  be,  pressing  strongly  for  the 
darker  touches,  and  more  lightly  for  the  more  delicate  parts,  and 
according  as  you  find  the  ground  more  or  less  soft,  which  depends 
on  the  heat  of  the  weather  or  the  room  you  work  in,  use  a  softer 
or  harder  pencil,  remembering  always  that  the  softer  the  ground 
the  softer  the  pencil.  When  the  drawing  is  finished,  lift  up  the 
paper  carefully  from  the  plate,  and  wherever  you  have  touched 
with  the  pencil  the  ground  will  stick  to  the  paper,  leaving  the  cop- 
per more  or  less  exposed.  A  wall  is  then  put  around  the  margin, 
the  plate  bit  in,  and  if  too  feeble,  rebit  in  the  same  way  as  a  com- 
mon etching,  using  hard  etching-ground  for  the  rebite.  If  the  acid 
has  been  successfully  applied  to  the  plate,  the  proof  will  be  exactly 
the  same  as  the  drawing  made  by  the  soft  etching-ground  sticking 
to  the  underside  of  the  paper,  which  is  indeed  itself  a  proof  how 
far  you  have  succeeded. 

It  may  be  here  observed,  in  anticipation  of  our  remarks  upon 
aquatint  engraving,  that  an  outline  in  soft  ground  for  aquatint  is 
'much  less  apt  to  cause  white  lines  than  the  continuous  line  of  com- 
mon etching. 

LINE    ENGRAVING. 

Of  all  the  various  kinds  of  engraving,  the  art  we  are  about  to 
describe  stands  pre-eminently  the  first.  However  it  may  be  sur- 
passed by  other  branches  of  the  profession  in  the  representation  of 


APPENDIX.  217 

certain  objects,  yet  as  a  whole  it  is  decidedly  superior  to  the  rest. 
It  cannot  produce  the  velvety  softness,  intense  depth,  and  harmo- 
nious mingling  of  light  and  shade  which  is  given  by  mezzotint. 
Neither  can  it,  even  when  aided  by  the  ruling-machine,  produce 
that  silvery  clearness  or  deep  transparent  tone  perceived  in  aqua- 
tint ;  nor,  like  it,  reproduce  the  dragging,  scumbling,  and  accidental 
touches  of  the  artist's  brush.  In  crispness  and  brilliancy  it  is  far 
exceeded  by  wood-engraving.  Still  it  stands  before  all  others,  and 
we  cannot  but  see  with  regret,  though  not  surprise,  its  present 
declining  state. 

When  steel  was  first  applied  to  line  engraving,  the  immense 
number  of  impressions  it  was  found  capable  of  producing  enabled 
the  publishers  to  offer  to  the  world  works  beautifully  illustrated 
at  a  much  cheaper  rate  than  had  hitherto  been  done.  A  new  class 
of  publications — we  mean  the  annuals — were  introduced  as  a  vehicle 
for  spreading  more  rapidly  the  impressions  from  steel  plates,  and 
the  most  beautiful  productions  of  our  best  engravers  were  flung 
with  a  prodigal  hand  before  the  public,  at  a  price  for  which  they 
ought  never  to  have  been  sold,  and  which  only  an  excessive  sale 
could  render  profitable.  We  are  no  enemies  to  cheapness  in  any 
thing,  and  still  less  in  whatever  may  contribute  to  the  mental 
enjoyment  of  the  public  ;  but  when  that  cheapness  is  obtained  by 
the  reduced  income  of  the  artist,  reduced,  not  from  extravagant 
gains  to  fair  remuneration,  but  from  fair  remuneration  to  insuffi- 
ciency— when  such  is  the  case  we  cannot  but  lament,  whilst  we  ad- 
mire the  beautiful  works  which  fill  our  portfolio,  the  sacrifice  by 
which  they  have  been  so  cheaply  obtained. 

The  cause  of  this  deterioration  was  simply  the  excessive  sale  of 
these  illustrated  works,  which  created  a  demand  for  line  engravers 
far  beyond  what  the  population  of  England,  rich  as  she  is,  ought 
to  support.  But  the  fashion  for  annuals,  like  all  other  fashions, 
passed  away.  One  by  one  they  sunk  into  oblivion,  and  left  the 
artists  they  had  helped  to  create  to  seek  an  existence  in  other 


2l8  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

countries,  or  by  attempting  some  other  branch  of  the  profession. 
The  public,  weary  with  seeing  in  every  shop  and  on  every  table  the 
beautiful  engravings  which  steel  plates  had  showered  upon  the 
land,  like  a  child  surfeited  with  sweets,  was  glad  to  turn  to  some- 
thing else,  and  mezzotint  became  the  fashion.  Then  it  was  that 
the  reduced  sale  of  illustrated  works  no  longer  allowed  the  pub- 
lishers to  offer  a  fair  remuneration,  and  the  many  engravers  un- 
employed were  forced  to  accept  the  little  they  could  afford  to 
give. 

Such  are  the  causes  of  the  present  depressed  state  of  the  art ; 
and  were  these  all  the  evils  arising  from  engraving  on  steel,  if  it 
were  merely  a  stagnation  arising  from  too  great  a  production,  how- 
ever much  we  might  regret  the  losses  which  line  engravers  must  for 
a  while  sustain,  still  we  know  that  a  few  years  must  bring  back  the 
art  to  a  more  healthy  state.  But  when  the  hardness  of  the  metal 
was  found  to  admit  of  finer  work,  then  came  in  fashion  the  exces- 
sively finished  style  of  the  present  day,  which,  whilst  it  increases 
the  mechanical  difficulties,  tends  to  reduce  all  engravers  to  the  same 
level,  or,  what  is  still  worse,  allows  some  whose  only  merit  consists 
in  a  capability  of  laying  lines  closer  than  others  to  usurp  the  place 
of  real  talent.  This  is  indeed  an  evil,  and  we  are  afraid  that  many 
years  must  pass  away  before  the  vitiated  taste  of  the  public  can 
bear  the  works  of  real  genius,  unfettered  by  the  microscopic  finish 
of  the  present  style. 

The  process  of  line  engraving  consists,  at  present,  in  first  etching 
the  plate,  and  then,  after  it  is  bitten-in,  finishing  it  with  the  graver 
and  dry-point.  Formerly,  however,  it  was  the  custom  to  begin  and 
finish  a  plate  with  the  graver  only  ;  but  this  method  has  long  been 
laid  aside,  as  the  use  of  the  etching-needle  gives  so  much  greater 
freedom  in  the  representation  of  almost  every  object. 

Of  the  method  of  laying  the  ground,  transferring  the  subject  to 
the  plate  by  means  of  tracing,  and  of  sharpening  the  graver,  nee- 
dle, etc.,  we  have  already  spoken  under  the  head  of  etching.  The 


APPENDIX.  219 

manner  of  handling  the  needle  is,  however,  very  different,  as  in  all 
the  flat  tints  a  ruler  is  made  use  of.  Clear  blue  skies  are  done  by 
means  of  the  ruling-machine,  of  which  the  following  is  a  descrip- 
tion :  "  On  a  straight  bar  of  steel  is  placed  a  socket,  which  slides 
backwards  and  forwards  with  a  steady  but  even  motion.  To  the 
side  of  the  socket  is  fitted  a  perpendicular  tube,  which  receives  a 
steel  wire  or  any  other  hard  substance,  called  a  pen.  This  pen  has 
a  point  like  an  etching-needle,  and  is  pressed  down  by  the  action  of 
a  spring.  If,  then,  a  copper  plate  covered  with  the  etching- ground 
is  placed  under  the  ruler,  which  should  be  supported  at  each  end, 
and  raised  about  an  inch  above  it,  the  point  of  the  pen  may  be 
caused  to  reach  it  ;  and  if  the  socket  to  which  the  pen  is  attached 
be  drawn  along  the  bar,  it  will  form  a  straight  line  upon  the  plate, 
more  even,  but  in  other  respects  the  same  as  if  that  line  had  been 
drawn  by  hand  with  a  ruler.  Now,  if  the  plate  or  the  ruler  be 
moved,  backwards  or  forwards,  in  a  direction  parallel  to  this  first 
line,  any  number  of  lines  may  be  drawn  in  the  same  manner." 

In  the  machine,  therefore,  a  very  exact  screw,  acting  upon  a 
box  confined  by  a  slide  and  connected  with  the  bar  or  board  upon 
which  the  plate  rests,  produces  the  requisite  motion  ;  and  a  con- 
trivance or  index  is  used  to  measure  the  exact  portion  of  a  turn 
required  before  any  stroke  is  drawn.  Such  is  the  principle  of  the 
machine  most  generally  used  ;  but  the  point  or  pen  employed 
should  not  be  made  of  steel,  which,  however  well  tempered,  will 
require  frequent  sharpening,  and  must  therefore  inevitably  draw 
strokes  deficient  in  perfect  uniformity.  The  pen  should  have  a  dia- 
mond point,  which  when  once  properly  figured  remains  constantly  the 
same,  and  imparts  an  admirable  degree  of  regularity  and  sweetness 
to  the  work. 

Though  the  ruler  is  used  in  laying  flat  tints,  it  docs  not  follow 
that  the  lines  made  with  it  are  to  be  straight  ;  on  the  contrary, 
they  are  made  to  take  the  form  most  suited  to  the  object  by 
slightly  moving  the  hand,  taking  care  to  make  them  parallel.  But 


220  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

the  greatest  difficulty,  and  what  requires  the  longest  practice  to  at- 
tain, is  to  give  that  equal  pressure  to  the  needle,  so  that  every  line 
may  be  the  same  depth,  width,  and  distance  from  each  other,  with- 
out which  it  is  entirely  hopeless  to  obtain  an  even  tint.  This  capa- 
bility of  laying  flat  tints,  and  of  ruling  parallel  lines  excessively 
close  without  running  into  each  other,  is  so  essential  that  no  one 
can  expect  to  make  a  decent  plate  till  he  has  fully  accomplished  it ; 
and  the  first  business  of  the  learner  should  be  by  continual  practice 
to  obtain  a  readiness  and  certainty  in  the  management  of  the  ruler 
and  needle.  He  must  also  be  equally  capable  of  laying  parallel 
lines  of  the  same  strength  without  the  aid  of  the  ruler,  and  must 
seek  to  acquire  a  freedom  of  handling  in  etching  grass  and  the  foli- 
age of  trees  in  landscape,  and  the  flowing  lines  required  in  drapery 
and  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

In  etching  a  plate  to  be  finished  as  a  line  engraving,  every  part 
which  is  white,  such  as  white  drapery,  satin,  light  water,  ice,  white 
clouds,  the  white  fur  of  animals  except  when  in  shade,  and  the 
light  parts  of  flesh,  etc.,  ought  to  be  left  untouched  by  the  aqua- 
fortis, and  laid  in  with  the  dry-point  or  graver. 

The  following  extracts  from  a  celebrated  work  on  Engraving, 
aided  by  the  examination  of  the  prints  of  the  best  professors  of  the 
art,  will  be  found  worthy  of  attention  :  '  The  strokes  of  the 
graver  should  never  be  crossed  too  much  in  the  lozenge  manner, 
particularly  in  the  representation  of  flesh,  because  sharp  angles  pro- 
duce the  unpleasing  effect  of  lattice-work,  and  take  from  the  eye 
the  repose  which  is  agreeable  to  it  in  all  kinds  of  picturesque  de- 
signs ;  we  should  except  the  case  of  clouds,  tempests,  waves  of  the 
sea,  the  skins  of  hairy  animals,  or  the  leaves  of  trees,  where  this 
method  of  crossing  may  be  admitted.  But  in  avoiding  the  lozenge, 
it  is  not  proper  to  get  entirely  into  the  square,  which  would  give 
too  much  of  the  hardness  of  stone.  In  conducting  the  strokes,  the 
action  of  the  figures  and  of  all  their  parts  should  be  considered,  and 
it  should  be  observed  how  they  advance  towards  or  recede  from 


APPENDIX.  221 

the  eye,  and  the  graver  should  be  guided  according  to  the  risings  or 
cavities  of  the  muscles  or  folds,  making  the  strokes  wider  and 
fainter  in  the  lights,  and  closer  and  firmer  in  the  shades.  Thus  the 
figures  will  not  appear  jagged,  and  the  hand  should  be  lightened  in 
such  a  manner  that  the  outlines  may  be  formed  and  terminated 
without  being  cut  too  hard  ;  however,  though  the  strokes  break  off 
where  the  muscle  begins,  yet  they  ought  always  to  have  a  certain 
connection  with  each  other,  so  that  the  first  stroke  may  often  serve 
by  its  return  to  make  the  second,  which  will  show  the  freedom  of 
the  engraver. 

In  engraving  the  flesh,  the  effect  may  be  produced,  in  the 
lighter  parts  and  middle  tints,  by  long  pecks  of  the  graver,  rather 
than  by  light  lines  or  by  round  dots,  or  by  dots  a  little  lengthened 
by  the  graver,  or,  best  of  all,  by  a  judicious  mixture  of  these  to- 
gether. 

In  engraving  the  hair  and  the  beard,  the  engraver  should  begin 
his  work  by  laying  the  principal  grounds  and  sketching  the  chief 
shades  in  a  careless  manner,  or  with  a  few  strokes,  and  he  may  fin- 
ish it  at  leisure  with  finer  and  thinner  strokes  at  the  extremities. 
When  architecture  is  to  be  represented,  except  it  be  old  and  ruinous 
buildings,  the  work  ought  not  to  be  made  very  black,  because  as  edi- 
fices are  commonly  constructed  either  of  stone  or  white  marble,  the 
color  being  reflected  on  all  sides  does  not  produce  dark  shades  as  in 
other  substances.  When  sculpture  is  to  be  represented,  white  points 
must  not  be  put  in  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  of  figures  as  in  engrav- 
ings after  paintings,  nor  must  the  hair  or  beard  be  represented  as 
in  nature,  which  makes  the  locks  appear  flowing  in  the  air,  be- 
cause in  sculpture  there  can  be  no  such  appearance. 

In  engraving  cloths  of  different  kinds,  linen  should  be  done  with 
finer  and  closer  lines  than  other  sorts,  and  be  executed  with  single 
strokes.  Woollen  cloth  should  be  engraved  wide  in  proportion  to 
the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  the  stuff,  and  when  the  strokes  are 
crossed,  the  second  should  be  smaller  than  the  first,  and  the  third 


222  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

than  the  second.  Shining  stuffs,  which  are  generally  of  silk  or 
satin,  and  which  produce  flat  and  "broken  folds,  should  be  engraved 
more  hard  and  more  straight  than  others,  with  one  or  two  strokes 
as  their  colors  are  bright  or  otherwise  ;  and  between  the  first  course 
of  lines  other  smaller  must  be  occasionally  introduced,  which  is 
called  interlining.  Velvet  and  plush  are  expressed  in  the  same  man- 
ner, and  should  always  be  interlined.  Metals,  as  armor,  etc.,  are 
also  represented  by  interlining,  or  by  clear  single  strokes.  In 
architecture,  the  strokes  which  form  the  rounding  of  objects  should 
tend  to  the  point  of  sight,  and  when  whole  columns  occur,  it  is 
proper  to  produce  the  effect  as  much  as  possible  by  perpendicular 
strokes.  If  a  cross  stroke  is  put,  it  should  be  at  right  angles,  and 
wider  and  thinner  than  the  first  stroke.  The  strokes  ought  to  be 
frequently  discontinued  and  broken  for  sharp  and  craggy  objects. 
Objects  that  are  distant,  towards  the  horizon  should  be  kept  very 
tender.  Waters  that  are  calm  and  still  are  best  represented  by 
strokes  that  are  straight  and  parallel  to  the  horizon,  interlined  with 
those  that  are  finer,  omitting  such  places  as,  in  consequence  of 
gleams  of  light,  exhibit  the  shining  appearance  of  water  ;  and  the 
forms  of  objects  reflected  upon  the  water  at  a  small  distance  from 
it,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  water,  are  expressed  by  the  same  strokes 
retouched  more  strongly  or  faintly  as  occasion  may  require,  and 
even  by  some  that  are  perpendicular.  For  agitated  waters,  as  the 
waves  of  the  sea,  the  first  strokes  should  follow  the  figure  of  the 
waves,  and  may  be  interlined,  and  the  cross  strokes  ought  to  be 
very  lozenge.  In  cascades,  the  strokes  should  follow  the  fall  and 
be  interlined.  In  engraving  clouds,  the  graver  or  needle  should 
sport  where  they  appear  thick  and  agitated,  in  turning  every  way, 
according  to  their  form  and  their  agitation.  If  the  clouds  are  dark 
so  that  two  strokes  are  necessary,  they  should  be  crossed  more 
lozenge  than  the  figures,  and  the  second  strokes  should  be  rather 
wider  than  the  first.  The  flat  clouds  that  are  lost  insensibly  in  the 
clear  sky  should  be  made  by  strokes  parallel  to  the  horizon,  and  a 


APPENDIX.  223 

little  waving  ;  if  second  strokes  are  required,  they  should  be  more 
or  less  lozenge,  and  when  they  are  brought  to  the  extremity  the 
hand  should  be  so  lightened  that  they  may  form  no  outline.  The 
flat  and  clear  sky  is  represented  by  parallel  and  straight  strokes, 
without  the  least  turning.  In  landscapes,  the  trees,  rocks,  earth, 
herbage,  and  indeed  every  part  except  white  objects,  should  be 
etched  as  much  as  possible  ;  nothing  should  be  left  for  the  graver 
but  perfecting,  softening,  and  strengthening." 

The  above  observations  will  be  found  very  useful  to  refer  to, 
though  perhaps,  after  all,  the  examination  of  the  prints  of  the  best 
engravers  will  be  found  the  best  instruction  that  the  beginner  can 
have  ;  but  then  that  examination  ought  to  be,  not  merely  to  see 
how  certain  work  is  performed,  but  the  manner  of  executing  the 
representation  of  the  same  object  by  different  engravers  should  be 
carefully  observed,  and  that  which  is  best  selected  as  a  model,  re- 
marking at  the  same  time  wherein  consists  its  excellence,  and  in 
what  manner  it  differs  from  the  rest. 

AQUATINT   ENGRAVING. 

This  art,  so  beautiful  yet  so  difficult,  so  peculiarly  adapted  to 
those  subjects  requiring  broad  flat  tints  of  extreme  delicacy  or  ex- 
cessive depth,  so  capable  of  expressing  light  foliage  on  a  dark  back- 
ground, and  the  only  style  of  engraving  which  can  faithfully  render 
the  touches  of  the  artist's  brush,  has  of  late  years  been  degraded  to 
the  mere  production  of  colored  prints,  though  there  is  no  one  who 
has  seen  the  spirited  engravings  done  in  the  latter  end  of  the  last 
century  by  Madame  Prestel,  after  Rosa  da  Tivoli,  or  in  the  present 
day  the  beautiful  productions  of  Reeves  and  others,  after  Copley 
Fielding,  Vicars,  etc.,  etc.,  but  must  acknowledge  that  it  deserves  a 
higher  station  than  at  present  it  seems  to  hold. 

Engraving  in  aquatinta  is  said  to  have  been  invented  by  a  French 
artist  of  the  name  of  ST.  NON,  who  communicated  it  to  JKAN 
BAPTISTE  LE  PRINCE,  a  painter  and  engraver  who  died  in  1783. 


224  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

PAUL  SANDBY  introduced  it  into  England  and  greatly  improved 
it,  and  Madame  CATHERINE  PRESTEL,  a  German,  produced  works 
which  even  at  the  present  day  cannot  but  be  admired. 

The  process  of  aquatint  engraving,  as  now  followed,  consists  in 
pouring  over  a  highly  polished  copper  plate  a  liquid  composed  of  a 
resinous  gum  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine,  which  latter  evaporating 
leaves  the  resin  spread  all  over  the  plate  in  minute  grains  that 
resist  the  action  of  the  aquafortis,  which,  however,  corrodes  the  bare 
surface  of  the  copper  that  is  left  between  them.  This  granulated 
varnish  is  called  a  ground ;  but  before  the  invention  of  this  process, 
dust  grounds  were  made  use  of,  though  they  are  no  longer  used  in 
England.  The  method  of  making  them  is  as  follows  :  Powder 
some  common  black  resin  very  finely,  and  tie  it  up  in  a  muslin 
bag  ;  then  having  rubbed  the  plate  very  slightly  with  a  greasy  rag 
so  as  just  to  dim  the  copper,  shake  the  bag  over  it  till  it  is  com- 
pletely covered  with  the  powder  ;  strike  the  plate  smartly  at  the 
back  to  shake  off  any  loose  particles,  and  fix  the  resin  which  re- 
mains on  it  by  warming  it  at  the  back  with  a  piece  of  lighted  paper 
till  it  begins  to  change  color. 

To  make  liquid  ground,  powder  five  ounces  of  common  resin, 
and  put  it  into  a  bottle  with  a  pint  of  the  strongest  spirits  of  wine. 
Shake  it  up  several  times  during  the  day  till  the  resin  is  dissolved, 
which  will  be  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  then  leave  it  another  day 
for  the  impurities  in  the  resin  to  settle  to  the  bottom.  This  mix- 
ture will  be  much  too  strong  for  use.  You  must  therefore  have  an- 
other bottle,  and  mix  some  of  it  up  with  more  spirits  of  wine,  in 
the  proportion  of  one  third  of  the  mixture  to  two  thirds  of  spirits, 
though  even  this  will  be  too  strong,  for  it  is  obvious  that  the 
greater  the  proportion  of  resin  the  larger  will  be  the  granulations. 

Almost  all  the  resinous  gums,  when  dissolved  in  spirits  of 
wine,  will  make  grounds  more  or  less  adapted  for  aquatinting,  and 
though  the  common  resin  is  one  of  the  best  that  can  be  employed 
if  properly  managed,  yet  some  of  the  other  gums  granulate  in  a  very 


APPENDIX.  225 

different  manner,  and  can  be  employed,  if  found  upon  trial  to  be 
more  satisfactory.     The  following  are  some  of  these  : 

1.  Turpentine  varnish  dissolved  in  spirits  of  wine. 

2.  Burgundy  pitch  and  resin,  equal  quantities. 

3.  Burgundy  pitch  alone. 

4.  Common  black  resin  alone. 

5.  Mastic  and  Burgundy  pitch,  equal  quantities. 

6.  Mastic  alone. 

7.  Frankincense  alone. 

8.  Mastic  and  common  resin,  equal  quantities. 

These  different  specimens  should  be  examined  through  a  strong 
magnifying-glass  to  distinguish  their  peculiarities.  No.  I,  Turpen- 
tine varnish,  is  merely  a  variety  of  the  resin  ground  ;  and  this,  and 
No.  3,  Burgundy  pitch,  No.  4,  Common  resin,  and  No.  7,  Frankin- 
cense, will  be  found  the  best.  Some  aquatint  engravers  prefer  mix- 
tures, but  we  have  always  found  that  the  simple  resins — Burgundy 
pitch,  resin,  and  frankincense — are  much  better  when  used  alone 
than  any  compound  of  them. 

Before  laying  an  aquatint  ground,  it  is  necessary  to  provide  a 
tin  trough  rather  longer  than  your  plate  to  receive  the  superfluous 
ground,  with  a  spout  at  one  end  by  which  you  can  pour  it  back  into 
an  empty  bottle,  and  never  into  the  same  you  have  taken  it  from, 
as  it  is  certain,  however  clean  the  trough  may  be  kept,  to  gather 
some  dust  or  impurities,  which  must  be  allowed  to  settle  before  it 
can  be  again  made  use  of. 

As  the  beauty  of  an  aquatint  ground  depends  not  only  on  the 
manner  in  which  it  is  laid,  but  also  on  the  degree  of  polish  possessed 
by  the  plate,  we  cannot  but  recommend  a  long  and  vigorous  oil-rub- 
bing ;  first  with  washed  flour  of  emery  and  oil,  then  with  oil  alone. 
The  plate  should  next  be  wiped  clean  from  the  oil,  then  washed  with 
spirits  of  turpentine,  which  must  be  wiped  off  with  a  rag,  and  after- 
wards the  plate  must  be  well  rubbed  with  a  clean  dry  rag  and  whit- 
ing. To  know  when  a  plate  is  perfectly  clean,  breathe  gently  upon 


226  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

it,  and  your  breath  will  dim  every  part  with  a  white  mist  or  cloud, 
except  such  places  as  have  any  dirt  or  grease,  which  will  remain 
bright.  When  any  such  spots  appear,  the  plate  should  be  oil- 
rubbed  again  and  cleaned  as  before. 

When  the  plate  is  clean,  hold  it  slanting  on  your  left  hand  with 
the  edge  resting  in  the  trough,  pour  over  it  the  aquatint  ground, 
and  when  the  superfluous  fluid  has  run  off,  lay  it  in  the  same  slant- 
ing direction,  with  the  lower  edge  a  little  way  off  the  table,  and 
keep  it  well  wiped.  If,  when  dry,  the  ground  is  too  fine,  clean  it 
off  and  lay  another  ;  but  instead  of  pouring  it  once  over,  move  the 
plate  in  your  hand  in  such  a  way  that  the  ground  may  flow  back- 
wards and  forwards  two  or  three  times  before  you  allow  it  to  run 
into  the  trough  :  by  this  means  a  greater  quantity  will  remain  on 
the  plate,  and  the  grain  will  be  coarser.  When,  on  laying  it  once 
over  only,  the  grain  is  too  coarse,  more  spirits  of  wine  must  be 
added  to  the  ground,  but  it  is  better  that  it  should  be  so  weak  as 
to  allow  of  its  being  allowed  to  run  at  least  twice  over. 

Those  only  can  be  considered  good  grounds  in  which  every  grain 
is  of  the  same  size,  for  where  they  are  of  different  sizes  the  smaller 
particles  of  resin  are  destroyed  by  the  acid  before  the  plate  is  half 
bit  in.  A  badly  polished  plate  is  certain  to  make  a  smudgy  grain, 
as  it  is  called,  and  it  is  the  culpable  negligence  of  aquatint  engravers 
which  has  given  to  aquatint  plates  the  unfortunate  reputation  of 
not  being  able  to  throw  off  many  impressions.  We  have  seen  in 
Paris  the  five  hundredth  impression  of  one  of  the  plates  of  Oste- 
wald's  "  Voyage  Pittoresque  en  Sicile,"  engraved  with  a  very  fine 
grain,  in  which  even  the  most  delicate  tints  had  not  become  more 
weak,  and  have  no  doubt  but  that  two  thousand  good  impressions 
might  be  taken  off.  The  copper  was  double  hammered,  and  when 
polished  had  a  peculiar  silvery  appearance. 

It  now  remains  to  speak  of  the  various  accidents  which  may 
happen  in  laying  an  aquatint  ground.  The  first  and  worst  is  water- 
ing, as  it  is  called,  and  which  consists  in  the  formation  of  drops  of 


APPENDIX.  227 

water  on  the  ground  as  it  begins  to  granulate,  and  which  has  the 
effect  of  making  it  much  coarser  under  each  drop  than  it  is  in  the 
surrounding  parts,  so  that  when  bit  in,  what  ought  to  be  a  flat  tint 
has  the  dappled  appearance  of  the  feather  of  the  guinea-fowl,  being 
speckled  with  white.  In  England  this  always  happens  through 
want  of  strength  in  the  spirits  of  wine,  remembering  that  the  same 
ground  which  waters  on  a  very  wet  day  will  frequently  make  a  per- 
fect ground  in  dry  weather.  In  Paris,  however,  we  have  found 
that  the  strongest  spirits  of  wine  will  frequently  water,  and  to  those 
who  have  to  practise  the  art  of  engraving  in  aquatinta  in  France, 
the  following  method  of  obviating  its  ill  effects  will  be  found  of 
the  greatest  use  :  Lay  your  ground,  set  it  to  drain,  and  as  soon  as 
the  grains  are  completely  formed  on  the  lowest  part  of  the  plate, 
take  it  on  your  left  hand  and  dash  over  it  a  large  basinful  of  cold 
water  in  such  a  manner  that  every  part  of  the  plate  is  immediately 
covered  ;  set  it  to  drain,  and  when  dry  the  ground  will  be  its  natu- 
ral color  in  some  places  and  white  in  others,  which,  however,  will 
not  prevent  its  biting  even. 

The  accidents  accruing  from  dust  may  be  obviated  in  a  great 
measure  by  placing  the  plate,  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  laid,  under  a 
board  sufficiently  large  to  cover  it,  and  supported  at  each  end  by 
hooks,  etc. 

If,  as  often  happens  when  a  ground  is  laid  in  very  hot  weather 
during  the  heat  of  the  day,  or  in  a  cold  room  when  there  is  a  severe 
frost,  it  will  not  granulate,  the  only  remedy  is  to  lay  the  ground 
very  early  in  the  morning  in  hot  weather,  and  if  possible  in  a  room 
looking  towards  the  north  or  north-west  ;  in  short,  the  best  time 
for  laying  grounds  is  in  very  dry  weather  with  a  moderate  tempera- 
ture, excess  of  heat,  cold,  or  humidity,  being  against  a  good  forma- 
tion of  the  grain. 

It  often  happens  that  an  outline  of  the  subject  to  be  engraved  is 
etched  on  the  plate  before  the  aquatint  ground  is  laid,  and  occa- 
sions considerable  difficulty,  as  the  ground  settling  in  the  etching 


228  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

causes  a  white  line  to  be  formed  by  the  side  of  every  dark  etched 
line,  producing  an  effect  extremely  disagreeable.  This  may  be  ob- 
viated by  getting  the  printer  to  fill  up  the  etching  with  ink,  which 
must  be  left  twenty-four  hours  to  harden,  when  the  plate  may 
be  cleaned  as  before  directed,  and  the  ground  laid  over  it.  This 
method  has  the  advantage  of  preventing  the  etching  from  being  bit 
in  too  deep  by  the  aquafortis  used  in  biting  in  the  aquatint. 

A  ground  having  been  obtained,  the  margin  of  the  plate  should 
be  varnished  over  or  stopped  out,  as  it  is  technically  termed,  with  a 
mixture  of  lamp-black,  or  oxide  of  bismuth  and  turpentine  varnish, 
leaving  a  narrow  slip  on  the  lower  margin  ;  and  if  the  sky  is  a  gra- 
dation, a  small  piece  at  the  end  where  the  sky  is  darkest.  The  use 
of  the  slip  is  to  see  the  degree  of  strength  each  application  of  the 
acid  has  given  to  the  plate,  as  will  be  explained  hereafter.  We 
must  here  recommend  oxide  of  bismuth  in  preference  to  lamp- 
black, as  resisting  the  aquafortis  better  ;  at  the  same  time  it  is 
more  cleanly,  though  a  mixture  of  the  oxide  with  sufficient  lamp- 
black to  make  it  of  a  gray  middle  tint  has  peculiar  properties, 
which  makes  it  give  a  sharper  line  over  grounds  deeply  bit  in  than 
either  of  the  substances  used  separately  :  these  properties  are  of 
the  greatest  utility  in  working  architecture,  more  especially  where 
there  is  no  etched  outline. 

The  best  palette  for  mixing  the  oxide  with  varnish  is  a  marble 
slab  with  a  deep  hollow  at  one  corner  to  hold  spirits  of  turpentine  ; 
a  small  glass  muller  is  required  to  mix  them  intimately  by  grinding 
them  on  the  slab,  and  a  thin  palette-knife  to  scrape  the  color  to- 
gether. 

Brushes  of  four  different  sizes,  as  represented  in  Plate  I,  Fig.  15, 
will  be  wanted,  the  three  smaller  being  red  sables,  which  are  best 
on  account  of  their  stiffness,  and  the  larger  one  a  flat  camel's-hair 
brush,  for  the  margin  or  any  other  broad  tints  of  varnish  ;  and  we 
must  be  allowed  again  to  press  on  the  young  aquatinter's  memory 
the  necessity  of  having  the  oxide  of  bismuth  in  a  perfectly  impal- 
pable state. 


APPENDIX.  229 

When  the  margin  is  quite  dry,  the  subject  to  be  aquatinted 
must  be  transferred  to  the  plate,  either  by  tracing  or  drawing  with 
a  pencil.  If  the  former  method  be  preferred,  the  tracing  must  be 
carefully  fastened  down  to  the  copper  by  bits  of  wax  along  the 
upper  edge.  A  piece  of  thin  paper,  covered  on  one  side  with  lamp- 
black and  sweet  oil,  is  placed  between  the  tracing  and  the  ground 
with  the  colored  side  downwards,  and  every  line  of  the  subject 
must  be  passed  over  with  the  tracing-point,  using  a  moderate  pres- 
sure. One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  is  the  preparation  of  the  col- 
ored paper,  for  if  too  much  oil  be  used,  every  touch  of  the  tracing- 
point  stops  out,  and  of  course  makes  a  white  line  when  the  plate  is 
bit  in  ;  if,  on  the  contrary,  there  is  too  little  oil,  the  lamp-black 
does  not  adhere  sufficiently  to  the  ground,  and  is  washed  off  after 
the  first  or  second  bites. 

When  the  subject  is  drawn  on  the  plate,  a  BB  pencil  is  to  be 
used,  with  which  every  part  may  be  sketched  on  the  ground  with 
nearly  the  same  facility  as  on  paper,  and  where  there  is  no  paint- 
ing or  drawing  to  engrave  from,  this  method  is  to  be  preferred. 
The  greatest  care  must  be  taken  that  there  be  no  grit  or  sand  in 
the  pencil,  as  it  would  scratch  the  ground  and  make  a  black  line 
when  bit  in  ;  for  this  reason  a  hard  lithographic  chalk  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred, though  there  is  great  danger,  as  it  is  a  greasy  material,  of 
stopping  out  if  the  pressure  be  too  great. 

The  tracing  being  finished  and  the  papers  removed,  a  wall  of  a 
moderate  height  (that  is,  three  quarters  of  an  inch)  must  be  put 
around  the  plate,  with  a  large  spout,  which  ift  he  sky  is  a  gradation 
should  be  at  that  corner  where  it  is  the  darkest. 

Everything  is  now  ready  for  stopping  out  ;  and  in  describing  the 
method  of  engraving  an  aquatint  plate,  we  trust  we  shall  be  able, 
by  leading  our  readers  step  by  step  through  all  its  intricacies,  to 
make  them  clearly  understand  this  difficult  art. 

To  five  parts  of  water  in  a  wide-mouthed  bottle  with  a  glass 
stopper  add  one  part  of  strong  nitrous  acid,  and  set  it  by  till  the 
heat  occasioned  by  the  mixture  is  entirely  gone  off. 


23°  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Grind  up  together  on  your  marble  slab  a  little  oxide  of  bismuth 
and  turpentine  varnish,  diluting  it  with  spirits  of  turpentine  till  of 
a  proper  consistence  to  work  freely.  With  a  small  sharp-pointed 
red  sable  stop  out  every  part  of  the  plate  which  is  to  be  quite 
white  ;  in  a  few  minutes  the  varnish  will  be  sufficiently  dry.  We 
have  already  observed  that  the  spout  is  at  that  corner  of  the  plate 
opposite  what  is  to  be  the  darkest  part  of  the  engraving. 

Hold  the  plate  with  your  left  hand  in  a  sloping  position,  with 
the  spout  off  the  table,  and  lower  than  the  other  parts  of  the  plate, 
which  must  rest  on  the  edge  of  the  table.  Pour  the  aquafortis 
you  have  prepared  very  slowly  on  the  lower  part  of  the  plate,  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  shall  gradually  rise  till  it  first  reaches 
the  darkest  part  of  the  background,  and  so  goes  on  gradu- 
ally, forming  nearly  a  diagonal  line  across  the  plate,  the  direc- 
tion of  which  will  be  indicated  by  the  character  of  the  compo- 
sition or  design.  In  this  manner  proceed,  gently  raising  your  left 
hand,  and  adding  more  aquafortis  till  it  has  covered  the  lighter 
parts  ;  then  raise  your  left  hand  suddenly  that  the  acid  may  flow 
immediately  all  over  the  plate,  and  again  sink  it  (holding  the  mouth 
of  your  bottle  under  the  spout)  so  as  to  pour  off  the  aquafortis  as 
quickly  as  possible.  Cover  the  plate  with  water,  and  wash  off  with 
a  feather  all  the  bubbles  which  the  effervescence  of  the  acid  has 
left  on  the  plate.  Throw  away  this  water,  and  rinse  the  plate 
twice  ;  wipe  it  dry  with  a  clean  soft  towel,  being  exceedingly  care- 
ful not  to  press  so  hard  as  to  remove  any  of  the  stopping-out. 

In  warm  weather,  or  a  very  warm  room,  two  minutes  will  be 
quite  enough  for  the  acid  to  have  remained  on  the  plate  ;  but  to 
know  the  exact  time  required  for  each  bite  is  one  of  the  greatest 
difficulties  in  aquatinta  engraving,  and  can  only  be  acquired  by 
long  experience.  The  aquafortis,  which  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  in  winter,  before  a  fire  has  had  sufficient  time  to  warm  the 
room,  requires  six  minutes  to  procure  a  certain  tint,  will,  in  the 
evening,  after  candles  are  lighted,  bite  in  the  same  in  two  minutes, 


APPENDIX.  231 

so  that  no  rule  can  be  given.  The  best  method  of  judging  is  to 
sweep  away  the  bubbles  which  form  on  the  surface  whilst  the  acid 
is  on  the  plate,  and  the  rapidity  with  which  they  are  renewed  will 
be  the  best  criterion  of  the  energy  of  its  action  on  the  copper. 

The  darker  parts  of  the  plate  will  have  now  been  bitten  two 
minutes,  whilst  the  parts  over  which  the  acid  was  only  allowed  to 
pass  for  a  moment  will  scarcely  have  had  more  than  fifteen  seconds. 
The  acid  must  be  again  poured  on  the  plate  in  the  same  way,  and 
for  the  same  time,  then  washed  off  and  dried,  and  the  operation 
repeated  a  third  time.  This  will  have  given  six  minutes  to  the 
darker  parts  and  ONE  MINUTE  for  the  lighter  part  of  the  plate, 
which  will  be  sufficient  for  the  FIRST  BITE. 

To  see  the  degree  of  strength  on  the  plate,  first  clean  off  with 
spirits  of  turpentine  and  rag  the  small  piece  of  ground  left  uncov- 
ered on  the  margin  at  the  end,  and  having  wiped  it  quite  dry,  and 
freed  it  from  every  particle  of  varnish,  take  a  little  dry  oxide  of 
bismuth  on  the  tip  of  your  finger  and  rub  it  well  in,  then  with  an- 
other finger,  previously  covered  with  whiting,  polish  it  off,  and  you 
will  see  by  the  quantity  of  oxide  remaining  in  the  part  bit  in  the 
exact  strength  of  the  dark  part.  Pursue  the  same  process  with  one 
end  of  the  slip,  and  you  will  also  see  the  strength  you  have  ob- 
tained by  this  first  process. 

Stop  out  the  parts  you  have  uncovered  on  the  margin,  drawing 
the  varnish  in  a  straight  even  line  across  the  slip  where  it  had  been 
opened  for  trial.  The  background  perhaps  is  now  of  sufficient 
strength,  and  to  stop  it  out  so  as  to  preserve  the  forms  to  be  de- 
signed upon  it,  a  new  process  must  be  resorted  to. 

Mix  together  equal  quantities  of  whiting,  sugar,  and  gamboge 
with  water  sufficient  to  bring  it  to  the  consistence  of  cream,  adding 
enough  lamp-black  to  make  it  of  a  dark  color.  With  this  composi- 
tion paint  in  every  part  of  the  design  which  comes  against  the  back- 
ground. Then  with  a  flat  camcl's-hair  brush,  dipped  in  turpentine 
varnish  and  lamp-black  diluted  with  spirits  of  turpentine,  pass 


232  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

evenly  over  every  part  of  the  background,  taking  care  not  to  leave 
more  on  one  place  than  another.  Allow  it  to  dry  for  one  hour. 
Then  cover  the  plate  with  water,  and  in  another  hour  or  less  every 
part  you  have  painted  in  with  the  composition  will  come  up,  leav- 
ing the  ground  ready  for  a  fresh  bite  with  the  acid,  whilst  the  tur- 
pentine varnish  and  lamp-black  will  effectually  stop  out  every  part 
uncovered  by  the  composition.  Wash  the  plate  clean  with  water 
and  wipe  it  dry. 

Stop  out  every  part  which  is  sufficiently  strong,  and  proceed  to 
your  SECOND  BITE,  for  which  the  acid  must  remain  on  one  minute 
and  a  half. 

The  whole  plate  may  be  done  with  the  same  acid,  but  in  gen- 
eral practice  we  recommend  a  small  portion  of  strong  aquafortis  to 
be  added  each  bite,  by  which  less  time  is  required,  and  the  work 
shows  out  sharper.  Aquafortis  which  has  already  been  used  and  is 
impregnated  with  copper  should  never  serve  a  second  "time,  as  the 
work  done  with  it  will  appear  dull,  and  the  grain  dingy  and  indis- 
tinct, instead  of  that  silvery  clearness  which  forms  the  peculiar 
charm  of  the  best  aquatint  engravings.  The  reader  no  doubt  now 
understands  that  engraving  in  aquatint  is  like  making  an  Indian-ink 
drawing  :  each  time  the  aquafortis  is  put  on  the  plate  a  fresh  tint 
is  produced,  and  as  each  part  successively  becomes  dark  enough,  it 
is  stopped  out.  In  this  manner  a  plate  is  often  finished  with  one 
ground  bitten  about  twelve  times. 

To  clean  the  plate,  warm  the  back  with  a  piece  of  burning  paper, 
and  the  wall  will  easily  come  off.  Scrape  off  what  wax  remains  stick- 
ing to  the  plate  with  the  palette-knife.  Clean  off  the  varnish  with 
spirits  of  turpentine  and  rag.  Oil-rub  the  plate  well,  wash  it  clean 
with  spirits  of  turpentine,  and  send  it  to  the  printer's  for  a  proof. 

When  the  plate  comes  back,  oil-rub  it  thoroughly.  Wash  it 
several  times  with  spirits,  rubbing  it  dry  each  time  with  a  clean 
rag,  and,  lastly,  polish  it  off  with  a  soft  clean  dry  rag  with  a  very 
little  whiting,  and  it  will  then  be  ready  for  a  second  ground. 


APPENDIX.  233 

Every  second  ground  ought  to  be  a  rebiting  ground  on  those 
parts  you  intend  to  work  upon,  and  we  must  here  inform  our  read- 
ers that  rebiting  grounds  are  those  in  which  the  resin  granulates  in 
exactly  the  same  form  as  the  one  already  bitten  in.  To  do  this, 
the  spirits  of  wine  must  contain  more  resin  and  be  laid  fuller,  for 
which  reason  a  rebiting  ground  can  never  be  obtained  all  over  the 
plate,  as  when  it  rebites  on  the  dark  parts  it  will  be  coarser  on  the 
very  light  parts,  and  when  a  rebite  on  the  light  parts  it  will  be 
finer,  or,  as  it  is  termed,  a  cut  grain,  on  the  darks.  A  strong  mag- 
nifying-glass  is  useful  to  examine  peculiarities  of  the  ground.  Var- 
nish the  margin  as  before,  but  do  not  leave  any  slip  :  lay  in  all  the 
dark  parts  with  the  composition  ;  when  dry,  varnish  evenly  as  be- 
fore directed,  put  a  wall  around  your  plate,  and  in  an  hour's  time 
pour  on  the  water  :  let  it  remain  till  all  the  composition  comes  up. 

The  best  and  least  tedious  method  of  biting  in  dark  touches  is 
by  applying  very  strong  aquafortis  with  a  brush,  or  feather,  hence 
technically  termed  feathering.  Mix  the  strong  nitrous  acid  with 
water  in  equal  parts,  have  ready  a  basin  of  water  and  sponge,  and 
then  apply  the  acid  by  means  of  a  feather,  or,  what  is  better,  a 
common  camel's-hair  brush.  No  rule  can  be  given  for  the  time  of 
biting-in,  and  there  is  the  greatest  danger  in  leaving  the  aquafortis 
on  too  long,  as  the  ground  might  thereby  be  entirely  destroyed, 
and  the  plate  ruined.  The  acid  corrodes  the  copper  downwards 
and  side-ways,  and  so  gradually  undermines  the  grains  of  resin  till 
they  give  way,  and  the  part  becomes  one  even  hollow  incapable  of 
holding  the  printing  ink,  instead  of  a  succession  of  small  holes. 
The  dark  touches  being  all  bit  in,  there  only  remain  to  be  finished 
the  minor  details,  which  are  done  by  etching  through  a  thin  coat  of 
turpentine  varnish  to  which  a  little  white  has  been  added.  This 
method  of  laying  in  fine  lines  will  be  found  very  convenient  in 
doing  the  rigging  of  ships,  the  lines  in  architecture,  etc. 

When  any  part  of  the  plate  is  too  dark  it  must  be  made  lighter 
by  means  of  burnishing,  and  this  operation  may  be  performed  in 


234  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

two  ways,  either  with  oil  and  lamp-black,  or  dry,  with  very  fine 
white-lead  or  oxide  of  bismuth.  In  the  former  method  the  part  to 
be  burnished  is  filled  in  with  oil  and  a  little  lamp-black  :  a  shade  of 
tissue-paper  is  then  placed  between  the  plate  and  the  light,  in 
order  to  allow  the  different  tints  to  be  more  distinctly  seen,  and 
the  burnisher  is  then  rubbed  with  a  firm  even  pressure  till  the  part 
is  sufficiently  light.  In  this  method,  though  generally  used  by 
almost  every  engraver,  there  is  the  greatest  difficulty  in  distinguish- 
ing two  tints  which  are  nearly  the  same  strength,  and  it  is  only 
long  practice  which  will  enable  any  one  to  burnish  a  delicate  tint 
without  reducing  the  strength  of  the  edge  of  the  one  next  to  it, 
and  so  make  a  white  line. 

In  the  second  method,  the  plate  is  made  perfectly  clean,  and 
then  filled  in  with  the  finest  white-lead  in  powder  or  oxide  of  bis- 
muth ;  the  former,  however,  for  general  purposes  is  best,  when  it 
can  be  had  sufficiently  fine,  as  the  oxide  has  a  certain  greasinessr 
which  makes  it  clog  the  plate  ;  for  fine  and  very  delicate  tintsr 
however,  the  bismuth  will  be  found  more  useful,  as  you  can  ob- 
serve the  difference  between  two  tints,  however  slight,  which  no 
white-lead  is  capable  of  showing. 

As  a  plate  becomes  worn  by  printing,  all  the  fainter  tints  are 
effaced,  so  that  care  should  be  taken  that  the  first  bite  is  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  allow  for  it  ;  for  even  should  it  be  a  little  too 
strong,  if  all  the  other  tints  are  in  proportion  by  printing  with  a 
slacker  press,  or  by  adding  a  little  white  to  the  ink,  it  may  easily 
be  brought  down  to  a  proper  standard. 

Whenever  one  part  of  a  plate  is  generally  too  dark,  instead  of 
burnishing,  the  quickest  way  is  to  rub  it  down  with  the  oil-rubber 
and  washed  flour  of  emery,  or  a  piece  of  flannel  stretched  over  the 
finger  in  place  of  the  oil-rubber  :  if  this  is  not  found  sufficiently 
expeditious,  the  paper  prepared  with  washed  flour  of  emery,  after 
it  has  been  first  rubbed  on  a  piece  of  copper  to  take  off  the  rough- 
ness and  prevent  its  scratching,  will  reduce  even  the  coarsest 
grounds  very  rapidly. 


APPENDIX.  235 

There  are  few  who  have  not  seen  and  admired  the  lithographic 
drawings  by  Harding  and  others,  which  have  been  published  within 
the  last  few  years,  and  which,  by  employing  a  second  stone  to  give 
the  broad  flat  tints  and  high  lights,  imitate  in  the  most  perfect 
manner  pencil  sketches  on  colored  paper  with  the  lights  laid  in  with 
white  chalk  or  paint. 

In  the  same  manner  sepia  or  Indian-ink  sketches  on  colored 
paper  may  be  equally  well  imitated  in  aquatinta,  with  this  advan- 
tage, that  as  with  the  second  stone  only  about  six  different  degrees 
of  strength  of  color  are  obtained,  with  the  second  plate  as  many  as 
twelve  can  be  produced,  if  the  color  in  which  it  is  printed  is  not 
•  too  light. 

We  shall  conclude  our  account  of  aquatinta  engraving  by 
strongly  advising  every  one  who  wishes  to  excel  in  this  art  to  prac- 
tise featJicring  and  the  use  of  the  acid  with  the  brush  as  much  as 
possible,  not  only  for  dark  touches,  but  for  all  those  parts  where  a 
gradation  of  tint  is  required,  as  clouds,  mountains,  etc.,  especially 
if  dark,  as  a  plate  may  be  executed  in  this  way  with  half  the  num- 
ber of  bites,  and  look  much  richer  than  when  worked  in  the  ordi- 
nary way. 

MEZZOTINTO. 

Mezzotinto  engraving  was  most  probably  invented  by  Ludwig 
von  Siegen,  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the  service  of  the  Landgrave  of 
Hesse,  as  there  is  a  portrait  by  him  of  Amelia  Elizabetha,  Princess 
of  Hesse,  dated  1643.  He  is  said  to  have  communicated  his  inven- 
tion to  Prince  Rupert,  to  whom  the  honor  of  it  has  been  fre- 
quently but  unjustly  ascribed. 

The  process  of  Mezzotint  engraving  consists  in  passing  over 
a  plate  of  steel  or  copper  an  instrument  called  a  cradle,  by  which 
a  burr  is  raised  on  every  part  of  the  surface  in  such  quantity  that 
if  filled  in  with  ink  and  printed,  the  impression  would  be  one 
mass  of  the  deepest  black.  On  the  plate  so  prepared  the  lights 


236  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

and  middle  tints  are  burnished  or  scraped  away,  leaving  it  un- 
touched for  the  darkest  shades. 

The  instruments  used  in  mezzotinto  engraving  consist  of  bur- 
nisher, Plate  I,  Figs.  3  and  4  ;  scrapers,  Figs.  2  and  7  ;  roulettes  of 
different  kinds,  Figs.  9  and  11  ;  shading  tools,  Fig.  10  ;  and  a  cradle, 
or  rocking  tool,  which  is  the  same  shape  as  the  shading  tool,  and  is 
used  in  laying  grounds.  The  use  of  the  roulette,  Fig.  n,  is  to 
darken  any  part  which  may  have  been  scraped  away  too  much,  and 
ought  to  be  of  different  sizes.  Roulettes  of  the  form  of  Fig.  9  are 
used  for  making  dotted  lines. 

Formerly  it  was  the  custom  to  finish  plates  entirely  in  mezzo- 
tint, and  most  beautiful  engravings  have  been  produced  in  this 
style.  At  present,  however,  the  outline  of  the  subject  is  almost 
always  laid  in  with  a  strong  bold  etching,  somewhat  resembling 
chalk  engraving,  and  this  serves  to  destroy  that  excessive  softness 
which  was  formerly  so  much  complained  of.  Indeed,  so  general 
has  the  practice  of  introducing  lines  and  dots  to  express  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  texture  in  objects  become,  that  no  plate  is  ever  exe- 
cuted at  the  present  day  in  pure  mezzotint  alone* 

When  the  outline  is  etched,  the  ground  must  be  laid,  an  opera- 
tion which  is  performed  in  the  following  manner  :  The  plate  is 
divided  equally  by  lines  parallel  to  each  other,  and  traced  out  with 
very  soft  chalk.  The  distance  of  these  lines  should  be  about  one 
third  of  the  face  of  the  cradle  which  is  to  be  used,  and  these  lines 
should  be  marked  with  capital  letters  or  strokes  of  the  chalk.  The 
cradle  is  then  to  be  placed  exactly  betwixt  the  two  first  lines,  and 
passed  forwards  in  the  same  direction  with  them,  rocking  it  from 
side  to  side,  and  proceeding  till  every  part  of  the  plate  between  the 

*  We  consider  this  a  great  misfortune,  for  no  one  can  examine  the  beautiful  pure 
mezzotints  of  Earlom,  Green,  Houston,  and  other  masters  of  this  branch  of  the  art, 
who  flourished  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  without  regretting  that  this  species  of  engraving  has  not  received  greater 
attention  of  late  years.  Perhaps,  however,  it  is  satisfactory  to  reflect  that  genius 
such  as  inspired  these  artists  now  finds  development  in  other  forms  and  methods  of 
expression. 


APPENDIX.  23? 

lines  is  covered  with  a  burr.  The  same  operation  must  be  re- 
peated with  respect  to  all  the  other  lines  till  the  instrument  has 
passed  over  every  part  of  the  plate,  care  being  taken  to  press  stead- 
ily and  firmly  upon  the  tool. 

Other  lines  must  be  drawn  then  from  the  other  two  sides  in  the 
same  manner,  which,  intersecting  the  first  at  right  angles,  will  form 
them  into  squares.  The  same  operation  must  be  repeated  with  the 
cradle  between  each  row  of  lines  as  before.  New  lines  must  then 
be  drawn  diagonally,  and  the  cradle  passed  between  them  ;  and 
when  the  first  diagonal  operation  is  performed,  the  lines  must  be 
crossed  at  right  angles,  and  the  cradle  passed  between  them  in  the 
same  manner.  The  plate  having  undergone  the  action  of  the  cra- 
dle according  to  the  disposition  of  the  first  order  of  lines,  a  second 
set  must  be  formed,  having  the  same  distances  from  each  other  as 
the  first  ;  but  they  must  be  so  placed  as  to  divide  those  already 
made  into  spaces  one  third  less  than  their  whole  width — that  is,  every 
one  after  the' first  on  each  side  will  take  in  one  third  of  that  before  ; 
for  instance,  beginning  at  A,  of  which  the  first  third  must  be  left 
out,  the  third  of  B  will  consequently  be  taken  in,  and  so  of  the 
rest.  These  lines  of  the  second  order  must  be  marked  with  small 
letters  or  lesser  strokes,  in  order  to  distinguish  them  from  the  first  ; 
and  the  same  treatment  of  the  plate  must  be  pursued  with  respect 
to  them  as  was  practised  with  the  others.  When  this  second  op- 
eration is  finished,  a  third  order  of  lines  must  be  drawn,  the  first  of 
which,  for  instance  in  A,  must  omit  two  thirds  of  it,  and  conse- 
quently take  in  two  thirds  of  B,  etc.  By  these  means  the  original 
spaces  will  be  exactly  divided  into  equal  thirds,  and  the  cradle 
must  be  again  employed  between  these  lines  as  before.  When  the 
whole  of  this  operation  is  finished,  it  is  called  one  turn ;  but  in 
order  to  produce  a  very  dark  and  uniform  ground  the  plate  must 
undergo  the  repetition  of  all  these  several  operations,  until  a 
ground  has  been  produced  that  will  print  a  perfectly  black  tint. 

When  the  subject  is  traced  on  to  the  plate,  the  work  is  com- 


238  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

menccd  by  scraping  and  then  burnishing  the  highest  lights,  after 
which  the  next  lightest  parts  are  scraped  away,  and  so  on,  proceed- 
ing gradually  from  light  to  dark,  leaving  for  the  deepest  shades  the 
ground  untouched. 

We  have  already  spoken  of  etching  in  the  outline,  which  we 
must  here  remark  is  a  very  delicate  operation,  for  if  too  strong  it 
will  appear  spotty  and  dirty  in  the  light  parts,  and  if  too  feeble  it 
will  be  entirely  lost  when  the  ground  is  laid.  It  is  therefore  more 
advantageous  to  do  nothing,  before  the  ground  is  laid,  but  the  mere 
outline,  and  then  when  the  burnishing  and  scraping  are  nearly 
finished,  to  cover  the  plate  with  a  thick  coat  of  transparent  etch- 
ing-ground. On  this  lines  are  etched  to  give  texture  to  the  differ- 
ent parts,  and  of  course  ought  to  be  varied  as  in  line  engraving, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  object  represented,  making  use  of 
clean-cut  lines  for  polished  surfaces,  irregular  broken  lines  for 
earth,  etc. ;  in  short,  whatever  may  best  express  the  texture  of  the 
substance  upon  which  they  are  placed.  This  depends  in  a  great 
measure  on  the  natural  taste  of  the  engraver  ;  but  the  best  method 
for  the  learner  is  to  observe  the  works  of  the  best  engravers,  not 
only  in  mezzotint,  but  also  in  line  ;  more  particularly  good  etch- 
ings, by  which  he  will  see  how  any  object  may  be  best  represented. 
Wood  engravings  will  also  be  useful. 

Almost  every  engraver  has  his  own  style  of  working,  and  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  say  where  such  and  such  lines  ought  to  be 
used.  Many  artists  use  a  great  number  of  different  kinds  of  rou- 
lettes for  more  readily  etching  in  the  dotted  straight  lines  on  walls, 
etc.  Some  again  rely  on  the  needle  and  graver,  as,  for  instance, 
some  of  the  French  engravers,  but  a  judicious  employment  of  every 
kind  of  work  will  be  found  the  best,  taking  care  not  to  destroy,  by 
an  over-anxiousness  to  procure  texture,  the  peculiar  properties  of 
mezzotint,  where  its  softness  and  velvet-like  appearance  are  best 
suited  to  the  object. 

The  great  deficiency  of  mezzotint,  when  applied  to  landscape,  is 


APPENDIX.  239 

seen  when  a  clear  sky  or  light  foliage  is  represented.  However 
well  the  former  may  have  been  executed,  it  will  ever  have  a  misty 
appearance  when  compared  with  the  clear,  silvery,  and  brilliant 
tints  of  aquatint  or  line  engraving  ;  and  we  are  sorry  that  the  diffi- 
culty of  procuring  an  even  grain  on  steel  has  hitherto  prevented 
the  union  of  two  styles  so  peculiarly  adapted  to  each  other  as 
mezzotint  and  aquatint.  Might  not  something  be  done  by  cover- 
ing steel  with  an  excessively  thin  plate  of  copper,  which  is  easily 
polished,  and  on  which  aquatint  ground  forms  so  well  ? 

Light  foliage  coming  away  from  a  dark  background  is  seldom 
well  represented  in  mezzotint,  which  is  too  soft  and  undefined  for 
the  crisp  and  sparkling  isolated  lights  which  are  continually,  occur- 
ring in  the  leaves  of  trees.  Here  again  aquatint  would  be  of  the 
greatest  assistance,  and  this  is  felt  not  only  in  England,  but  in 
France,  in  which  country  the  author  has  been  continually  asked  to 
lend  his  assistance,  but  which  has  been  rendered  unavailing  on  ac- 
count of  the  difficulty  above  mentioned. 

In  all  the  works  on  engraving  which  we  have  consulted,  and  in 
which  mezzotint  is  mentioned,  we  find  an  account  of  printing  this 
style  of  engraving  in  colors  by  means  of  different  plates,  as  in- 
vented by  Le  Blon  of  Frankfort,  a  pupil  of  Carlo  Marata.  Print- 
ing in  colors,  however,  is  not  peculiar  to  mezzotint,  but  may  be  ap- 
plied to  every  style  of  engraving,  as  may  be  seen  in  oil-color  print- 
ing from  wood  blocks,  and  lithographic  printing  in  colors. 

CHALK   AND   STIPPLE   ENGRAVING. 

We  have  preferred  to  treat  these  styles  of  engraving  under  the 
same  head,  as  .the  process  in  each  is  so  much  alike  that  they 
scarcely  ought  to  have  a  different  name. 

The  invention  of  chalk  engraving  has  been  attributed  to  three 
different  French  artists  :  G.  E.  Dcmarteau,  J.  J.  Francois,  and 
Louis  Bonnet,  all  of  whom  lived  in  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth 
century. 

Stipple  engraving  is  said  to  have  been  invented  by  Bylacrt,  a 


240  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

painter  and  engraver  of  Leyden,  although  dotting  is  to  be  seen  in 
the  works  of  Albert  Durer,  and  almost  all  the  earliest  engravers. 
It  was  introduced  into  England  by  the  unfortunate  Ryland,  and 
brought  to  perfection  by  Bartolozzi,  since  whose  time  it  has  been 
used  with  great  success  in  portrait,  being  particularly  well  adapted 
for  the  representation  of  flesh,  and  we  should  say  for  that  alone. 

The  process  of  stipple  engraving  is  very  simple.  An  etching- 
ground  being  laid  on  the  plate,  and  the  subject  transferred  to  it  as 
in  etching,  the  outline  is  laid  in  by  means  of  small  dots  made  with 
the  needle,  after  which  all  the  darker  parts  are  etched  likewise  in 
dots,  which  ought  to  be  larger  and  laid  closer  together  for  the  deep 
shades.  The  work  is  then  bitten  in,  taking  care  not  to  let  the 
aquafortis  remain  too  long  on  the  middle  tints.  When  the  ground 
is  taken  off  the  plate,  all  the  lighter  parts  are  laid  in  with  the  dry- 
point  or  stipple  graver,  Plate  I,  Fig.  12,  the  form  of  which  resem- 
bles the  common  kind,  except  that  the  blade  bends  down  instead 
of  up,  thereby  allowing  greater  facility  in  forming  the  small  dots  or 
holes  in  the  copper.  When  a  stipple  graver  is  not  to  be  had,  a 
common  graver  will  do  exceedingly  well,  if  its  position  in  the  han- 
dle be  changed,  so  that  the  bend  which  was  downwards  is  now  up- 
permost :  in  using  it,  of  course  it  must  be  held  with  the  bend  down- 
wards, the  usual  position  of  the  handle  in  the  hand  being  changed. 
We  have  already  said  that  all  the  lighter  parts  must  be  laid  in  with 
the  dry-point  or  graver,  which  gives  much  greater  delicacy  than 
can  be  obtained  with  the  aquafortis  :  the  middle  tints  also,  which 
have  been  but  faintly  bitten  in,  must  be  worked  up  with  the  graver, 
which  will  make  them  softer,  and  the  dark  shades  strengthened 
wherever  they  may  want  it,  though  should  these  be  much  too  faint 
they  are  better  deepened  by  laying  a  rebiting  ground,  as  explained  in 
etching.  As  every  stroke  of  the  dry-point  or  graver  raises  a  burr 
on  the  plate,  it  ought  to  be  scraped  off  occasionally,  and  the  work 
recommenced  till  sufficiently  dark.  When  using  the  graver,  the 
plate  ought  to  be  placed  on  a  sand-bag,  or  a  button  fastened  to  the 
back  with  wax. 


APPENDIX.  241 

Chalk  engraving  is  merely  the  imitation  of  chalk  drawings  by 
means  of  stipple  engraving,  and,  like  the  latter,  is  a  very  easy  style. 
The  grain  which  the  chalk  leaves  on  the  paper  is  imitated  by  irregu- 
lar dots  of  varied  forms  and  sizes,  and  the  whole  process  is  exactly 
the  same  as  stipple  engraving. 

Chalk  engraving  since  the  invention  of  lithography  is  much  less 
practised  than  before,  and  we  trust  that  the  use  of  chalk  as  a 
material  for  sketching  even  the  human  figure  is  gradually  giving 
way  to  the  superiority  of  its  rival,  the  blacklead  pencil.  There  is 
nothing  that  chalk  can  execute  that  cannot  be  done  better  and 
quicker  with  a  BB  blacklead  pencil,  to  say  nothing  of  the  dirt  and 
trouble  in  forming  a  point  to  chalk,  and  the  difficulty  of  fixing  the 
drawing  when  done. 

WOOD    ENGRAVING. 

The  greatest  uncertainty  exists  as  to  the  exact  time  when 
wood  engraving  was  first  invented,  or  rather  applied  to  the  produc- 
tion of  pictorial  representations.  Long  before  1423,  the  earliest 
date  yet  found  on  any  wood-cut,  wooden  stamps,  having  figures 
in  relief,  were  used  to  impress  on  paper  and  parchment  the  signa- 
tures and  marks  of  kings,  nobles,  the  clergy,  merchants,  and  others ; 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  at  a  very  early  period  the  illuminators  of 
manuscripts  often  made  use  of  a  stamp  to  form  their  ornamented 
capital  letters,  and  they  may  therefore  claim  in  some  measure  the 
credit  of  inventing  wood  engraving,  though  Mr.  Jackson,  in  his 
splendid  work  on  this  division  of  the  art,  attributes  the  discovery  to 
the  German  card-makers,  who  used  wooden  stamps  to  form  the 
outline  of  their  figures,  which  were  aftenvards  colored  by  means  of 
stencilling. 

The  limits  of  our  work  will  not  allow  us  to  pursue  any  further 
the  history  of  wood  engraving ;  to  tell  how  it  rose  to  eminence  in 
the  time  of  Albert  Diirer  ;  how  it  gradually  declined  during  the 
seventeenth  century  ;  or  how,  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth, 
the  rare  talents  of  Thomas  Bewick  restored  it  to  its  former  excel- 


242  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

lence.  For  these  details  we  must  again  refer  the  reader  to  "  A 
Treatise  on  Wood  Engraving,"  by  John  Jackson,  a  work  which 
ought  to  have  a  place  in  every  library,  and  which  no  wood  engraver 
who  has  any  love  for  his  profession  should  be  without.  The  pro- 
cess of  wood  engraving  is  exactly  the  reverse  of  engraving  on  steel 
or  copper,  in  which  the  portions  of  the  print  required  to  be  left 
white  remain  untouched,  while  the  black  and  tinted  parts  are  pro- 
duced by  a  series  of  lines  cut  out  of  the  metal  with  the  graver  ; 
whereas  in  wood  the  black  and  tinted  portions  are  left  even  with 
the  surface,  and  the  white  parts  are  cut  out.  Whilst  the  engraver 
on  steel  produces  his  effect  by  a  series  of  incised  lines,  the  wood 
engraver  cuts  away  only  that  part  not  intended  to  print. 

In  printing  wood  blocks  it  is  necessary  that  the  ink  used  should 
be  of  a  composition  much  thicker  than  that  employed  in  the  pro- 
duction of  prints  from  engravings  on  copper  or  steel,  in  order  that 
if  may  lie  upon  the  surface  of  the  block  without  filling  up  the  hol- 
lows. The  manner  in  which  type  is  printed  is  so  well  known  that 
it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  the  printing  of  wood  blocks  is  ex- 
actly similar,  and  generally  done  at  the  same  time,  as  they  are 
chiefly  used  in  the  illustration  of  books. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  wood  used  in  this  style  of  engraving  : 
Sycamore,  Pear,  and  Box,  the  two  former  being  only  used  for  large 
coarse  cuts,  such  as  are  often  seen  at  the  head  of  play-bills,  as  they 
are  too  soft  to  admit  of  fine  lines  being  engraved  upon  them. 

Boxwood  is  grown  in  England,  and  though  not  so  large  as  that 
imported  from  America  or  the  Levant,  is  equally  good,  or  perhaps 
better,  as  being  more  rarely  of  a  red  color,  which  is  a  certain  sign 
of  softness  and  of  course  unfitness  for  fine  work,  for  which  the 
smallest  log  should  always  be  chosen,  those  blocks  which  are  of  a 
clear  yellow  color  all  over  being  the  best.  This,  however,  is  very 
difficult  to  obtain,  as  almost  always  the  centre  of  the  tree  is  of  a 
deeper  yellow  than  the  outside,  which  is  in  general  whitish  and 
much  softer. 

Box  is  purchased  in  small  trunks  varying  from  four  to  twelve  or 


APPENDIX. 


243 


fourteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  from  two  to  five  feet  in  length  ; 
they  are  cut  into  slices  of  about  seven  eighths  of  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness, the  same  as  that  of  type,  in  order  that  the  engraving  may 
be  printed  simultaneously  with  the  letter-press.  These  slices,  after 
being  cut  from  the  trunk,  are  laid  by  for  a  period  varying,  according 
to  circumstances,  from  twelve  months  to  two  years,  to  ensure  their 
being  properly  seasoned. 

To  prepare  a  block  for  drawing,  nothing  more  is  requisite  than 
to  cover  the  smooth  surface  with  a  thin  coating  of  Bath-brick 
finely  powdered  and  mixed  with  a  little  water,  which  when  dry  is 
to  be  removed  by  rubbing  it  off  with  the  palm  of  the  hand.  This 
gives  a  certain  degree  of  roughness  which  makes  the  blacklead  pen- 
cil mark  more  freely  on  the  block.  Drawings  on  wood  are  exe- 
cuted in  two  different  styles  :  one  in  which  the  principal  flat  tints 
are  laid  in  in  Indian-ink,  and  then  touched  up  with  a  blacklead 
pencil  ;  the  other  in  which  every  line  is  drawn  exactly  as  it  is  in- 
tended to  be  produced  in  the  engraving. 

The  tools  used  by  wood  engravers  are  gravers,  tint  tools, 
scoopers  or  gouges,  chisels  or  flat  tools,  and  a  mezzotint  scraper 
(see  Fig.  7,  Plate  I)  for  scraping  away  the  wood  in  the  process  of 
lowering.  The  gravers  are  the  same  as  those  used  in  line  engrav- 
ing, and  vary  in  form  from  the  square  lozenge  to  the  extreme 


lozenge. 


Six  or  eight  will  generally  be  found  sufficient. 


244  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Tint  tools  are  deeper  in  the  sides  than  gravers,  and  are  used 


where  a  succession  of  fine  parallel  lines  are  wanted.  Six  will  be 
found  sufficient,  those  for  the  broadest  lines  being  about  as  fine  as 
the  most  lozenge  graver,  and  five  others  growing  gradually  finer. 

Scoopers  (Plate  I,  Fig.  6)  are  chiefly  used  for  scooping  out  the 
wood  from  the  middle  parts  of  the  block,  and  ought  to  be  of  six 
different  sizes. 

Flat  tools,  chis- 
els, or,  as  they  are 
sometimes  called, 
blocking-out  tools, 


are  used  for  cutting 
away  those  parts  of 
the  block  which  are 
towards  the  sides 
after  the  engraving  is  finished. 

When  the  drawing  is  finished,  before  the  engraver  begins  to 
work  upon  it,  the  block  ought  to  be  covered  all  over  with  hot- 
pressed  Bath  post,  except  that  part  where  he  intends  to  begin.  It 
is  then  placed  on  a  sand-bag,  which,  being  higher  in  the  centre, 
allows  the  block  to  be  turned  with  more  facility,  and  thereby  gives 
greater  freedom  of  execution. 

We  have  already  said  that  the  fac-simile  style  is  much  the  easiest 
kind  of  engraving.  In  this  style  less  judgment  and  artistical  power 
are  required,  as  every  line  is  here  drawn  for  the  engraver,  and  all 
that  is  required  of  him  is  sufficient  mechanical  practice  to  enable 
him  clearly  to  cut  out  those  parts  which  have  been  Jeft  white  by 
the  artist,  and  leave  standing  up,  sharp  and  clear,  every  line  in  the 


APPENDIX. 


245 


drawing.  Thus  in  the  fac-simile  style  the  print  of  a  wood  engrav- 
ing is  little  more  than  an  exact  representation  in  ink  of  the  drawing 
of  the  artist. 

In  all  those  parts  of  the  drawing  which  are  meant  to  be  ex- 
tremely soft  and  light,  the  surface  of  the  block  should  be  lowered 
before  the  engraver  begins  to  work  upon  it.  As  of  course  this 
operation,  which  is  done  with  a  mezzotint  scraper,  entirely  effaces 
those  parts  of  the  design  on  which  it  is  performed,  and  which  the 
engraver  must  either  draw  in  again  himself  or  take  it  back  to  the 
artist,  it  is  much  better  that  only  an  outline  be  made  at  first,  and 
the  parts  to  be  lowered  indicated  with  tints  of  white  color.  The 
wood  engraver  proceeds  to  lower  the  block  in  the  necessary  places, 
and  then  gives  it  back  to  the  draughtsman,  who  finishes  his  draw- 
ing. By  these  means  there  is  less  danger  of  the  drawing  being  in- 
jured during  the  process,  but  at  the  same  time  it  requires  that  the 
artist  should  perfectly  understand  the  principle  of  lowering. 

It  is  in  those  designs  which  are  made  on  the  block  with  Indian- 
ink  that  the  mechanical  skill  and  artistical  powers  of  the  engraver 
are  fully  shown.  Left  almost  entirely  to  himself,  the  choice  of  the 
kind  of  work  with  which  he  proposes  to  make  out  the  different 
parts  of  the  drawing  depends  more  on  his  knowledge  as  a 
draughtsman  than  his  skill  in  handling  the  graver  :  for  instance,  let 
an  Indian-ink  drawing  of  a  fox  be  given  to  two  engravers,  one  of 
whom  shall  be  eminent  for  the  cleverness  with  which  he  can  man- 
age his  tools,  and  the  other  very  deficient  in  this  respect,  but  at 
the  same  time  more  used  to  the  drawing  of  animals,  the  latter  shall 
produce  an  engraving  which,  however  roughly  executed,  will  have 
that  resemblance  to  nature  for  the  want  of  which  no  skill  or 
beauty  of  execution  on  the  part  of  the  former  can  compensate. 
We  have  been  led  to  these  observations  by  having  lately  seen  a 
work  on  animals  where  the  subjects  badly  drawn  arc  no  doubt 
made  worse  by  the  want  of  artistical  knowledge  displayed  by  the 
engraver  in  his  elaborate  and  careful  execution  of  them. 


246  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

As  in  line  engraving,  so  in  engraving  on  wood,  we  can  give  no 
rules  for  the  use  of  such  or  such  lines  for  expressing  certain  ob- 
jects :  it  is  true  we  can  say  that  straight  parallel  lines  are  best  for 
indicating  blue  sky,  and  waving  lines  for  clouds,  but  that  is  about 
all  we  can  say.  We  cannot  tell  with  what  lines  the  engraver 
should  make  out  the  light  leaves  of  the  willow,  or  the  stiff  foli- 
age of  the  yew  ;  the  long  grass  of  the  meadow  left  unmown  till 
autumn,  or  the  clean-cut  lawn  where  not  one  blade  rises  higher 
than  another.  These,  and  almost  every  other  object,  each  en- 
graver will  represent  after  his  own  manner,  and  that  manner  is 
best  which  approaches  nearest  to  nature.  We  repeat,  the  best 
method  for  the  engraver  is  to  practise  drawing  from  nature  in 
blacklcad,  or  pen  and  ink,  those  objects  which  it  is  his  intention  to 
make  the  subject  of  his  profession,  whether  it  be  landscape,  fig- 
ures, architecture,  or  animals. 

When  the  engraving  is  finished,  a  proof  is  obtained  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner  :  With  a  small  silk  dabber  dipped  in  printing-ink, 
the  whole  surface  of  the  block  is  evenly  covered  by  dabbing  it  with 
a  light  steady  hand,  and  not  too  much  ink,  so  as  not  to  force  it 
between  the  lines.  A  piece  of  India  paper  is  next  laid  on  the  block 
with  a  card  over  it  to  prevent  the  fine  lines  from  being  injured  by 
the  pressure.  A  burnisher  is  then  rubbed  firmly  all  over,  by  which 
an  impression  of  the  work  is  taken  off  on  to  the  India  paper. 

When  an  injury  has  happened  to  any  part  of  the  work,  the  only 
remedy  is  to  introduce  a  fresh  piece  of  wood  :  for  this  purpose  a 
circular  hole  is  drilled  nearly  through  the  block,  sufficiently  large  to 
cut  out  the  part  to  be  obliterated  ;  a  plug  of  box  is  then  driven  in, 
and  the  part  re-engraved. 

In  engraving  on  wood  by  lamplight,  a  most  excellent  method  is 
to  place  between  the  work  and  the  lamp  a  glass  globe  filled  with 
clear  water,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  concentrated  rays  of  light 
may  fall  upon  the  block.  This  has  the  advantage  of  giving  a  much 
more  brilliant  light  than  the  lamp  itself,  and  at  the  same  time 


APPENDIX.  247 

much  cooler,  as  the  lamp  is  at  a  greater  distance.  It  is  also  much 
more  economical,  as  a  single  lamp  will  serve  several  persons,  each 
having  a  globe.  We  have  seen  in  France  four  persons  working 
very  comfortably  with  one  candle  in  the  midst  of  them  ;  but  in 
England  we  do  not  study  economy  so  much,  nor  is  it  so  well  under- 
stood as  amongst  the  nations  of  the  continent.  We  remember  also 
to  have  seen  in  France  a  letter  engraver  make  use  of  clear  blue 
water,  or  rather  weak  aquafortis  strongly  impregnated  with  copper, 
in  his  globe,  the  light  through  which,  he  said,  was  much  more 
agreeable,  clear  water  being  too  dazzling. 

Chiaroscuro  drawings  are  easily  imitated  on  wood  by  printing 
over  the  impression  of  the  finished  engraving  a  second  block  with 
the  high  lights  cut  out  :  this,  if  printed  in  gray  ink,  will  give  the 
appearance  of  a  pen-and-ink  drawing  done  on  gray  paper  with  the 
high  light  touched  in  with  white  color. 

LITHOGRAPHY. 

Lithography  is  the  art  of  drawing  or  writing  on  stone,  though 
many  restrict  the  signification  of  the  term  to  the  mere  printing  or 
taking  impressions  from  such  drawings  or  writings.  We  shall, 
however,  take  it  in  the  former  sense,  for  though  we  propose  to 
briefly  explain  the  process  of  lithographic  printing,  it  is  that  part 
which  is  executed  by  the  artist  which  properly  belongs  to  this 
treatise. 

The  process  of  lithography  depends  on  the  facility  with  which 
some  kinds  of  stone  absorb  either  grease  or  water,  and  on  the  nat- 
ural antipathy  which  grease  and  water  have  for  each  other.  An 
even  surface  having  been  given  to  the  stone,  a  drawing  is  made 
upon  it  with  a  greasy  chalk.  The  stone  is  then  wet,  and  the 
printer  passes  over  it  a  roller  covered  with  printing-ink,  which  ad- 
heres to  those  parts  only  which  are  drawn  upon  with  the  chalk  ;  a 
damp  paper  is  then  pressed  upon  it,  and  receives  an  impression  of 
the  drawing. 


248  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

Lithography  was  accidentally  discovered  about  the  year  1792  by 
Alois  Senefelder,  the  son  of  a  performer  at  the  Theatre  Royal  of 
Munich.  He  was  a  student  of  law  at  the  university  of  Ingold- 
stadt,  and  after  his  father's  death  tried  a  theatrical  life,  but  with- 
out success.  He  then  became  an  author,  but  being  too  poor  to 
publish  his  works,  tried  various  methods  of  writing  on  copper  in 
order  that  he  might  print  them  himself,  and  soon  found  that  a 
composition  of  soap,  wax,  and  lamp-black  formed  an  excellent  ma- 
terial for  writing,  capable,  when  dry,  of  resisting  aquafortis.  To 
obtain  facility  in  writing  backwards,  as  copper  was  too  expensive, 
he  procured  some  pieces  of  calcareous  stone,  which  when  polished 
served  him  to  practise  upon.  His  mother  having  one  day  desired 
him  to  take  an  account  of  some  linen  she  was  sending  to  be 
washed,  he  wrote  it  out  on  a  piece  of  this  stone  with  his  composi- 
tion of  soap  and  wax.  It  afterwards  occurred  to  him1  that  by  cor- 
roding the  surface  with  acid  the  letters  would  stand  out  in  relief, 
and  admit  of  impressions  being  taken  from  them.  He  tried  the 
experiment  and  succeeded,  and  soon  found  that  it  was  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  lower  the  surface  of  the  stone,  but  that  simply 
wetting  it  was  sufficient  to  prevent  the  printing-ink  from  adhering 
to  any  parts  except  those  which  were  marked  with  the  composition. 

Such  was  the  invention  of  lithography,  and  Senefelder  contin- 
ued to  pay  unremitting  attention  to  the  improvement  of  the  art. 
In  1796  pieces  of  music  were  printed,  and  it  was  perhaps  the  first 
time  that  lithography  became  of  real  use.  The  difficulty  of  writ- 
ing backwards  brought  about  the  invention  of  the  transfer-paper. 

In  1799  Senefelder  took  out  a  patent  at  Munich,  and  soon  after 
entered  into  partnership  with  a  Mr.  Andre  of  Offenbach,  who  pro- 
posed to  establish  presses  and  take  out  patents  in  London,  Paris, 
and  Vienna.  He  came  to  London  in  1801,  with  a  brother  of  Mr. 
Offenbach,  and  communicated  the  new  art,  then  called  polyautog- 
raphy,  to  many  of  our  best  English  artists,  who  tried  it  ;  but  the 
continual  failures,  through  want  of  skill  in  the  printing,  and  the 


APPE?fDIX.  249 

difference  between  German  and  English  materials,  caused  it  to  be 
abandoned. 

Having  separated  from  Mr.  Andre,  Senefelder  went  to  Vienna, 
where  he  tried  to  apply  lithography  to  the  printing  of  cottons,  but 
apparently  without  success,  and  he  returned  to  Munich  in  1806,  in 
which  year  the  professor  of  drawing  at  the  public  school  at  Munich, 
Mr.  Mitterer,  succeeded  in  multiplying  copies  of  his  drawings  for 
his  pupils  by  lithography.  He  is  also  said  to  have  invented  the 
composition  for  chalk  as  now  made. 

In  1 809  we  find  Senefelder  inspector  of  the  royal  lithographic 
establishment  at  Munich,  and  engaged  in  printing  a  map  of  Ba- 
varia, and  soon  after  invented  the  stone  paper,  which,  however,  did 
not  succeed  :  it  was  exhibited  in  1823  at  London,  by  a  partner  of 
Senefelder,  but  its  liability  to  crack  by  being  wet  and  the  pressure 
of  the  press  rendered  it  useless. 

Little  was  done  in  England  after  1806,  till  its  revival  in  1817, 
since  which  time  it  has  been  gradually  improving,  till  lately  it  has 
acquired  still  greater  powers  by  the  means  of  employing  a  second 
stone,  by  which  is  obtained  a  perfect  imitation  of  drawings  made 
on  tinted  paper,  having  the  lights  laid  on  with  white. 

In  France,  also,  it  was  not  till  the  year  1815  that  any  thing  can 
be  said  to  have  been  done  in  lithography,  when  Count  Lasteyrie 
took  it  up. 

The  stones  used  in  lithography  are  calcareous,  and  readily  ab- 
sorb grease  and  moisture,  and  effervesce  with  an  acid.  The  best 
are  from  Bavaria,  though  those  of  Chateauroux,  in  France,  would 
perhaps  be  found  still  better  were  they  not  so  full  of  spots  of  a 
softer  nature  ;  for  it  is  highly  necessary  that  a  stone  should  possess 
the  same  degree  of  hardness  throughout  its  entire  surface.  In 
England,  stones  have  been  found  at  Corston,  near  Bath,  which, 
though  of  a  coarser  grain  than  the  German  stone,  arc  sufficiently 
good  for  writing  or  transfers. 

Stones  are  prepared  for  chalk  drawings  by  rubbing  two  together, 


250  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

with  a  little  silver  sand  and  water  between  them,  taking  care  to  sift 
it  to  prevent  any  large  grains  from  getting  in,  by  which  the  surface 
would  be  scratched.  The  upper  stone  is  moved  in  small  circles 
over  the  under  one  till  the  surface  of  each  is  sufficiently  even,  when 
they  are  washed,  and  common  yellow  sand  is  substituted  for  the 
silver  sand,  by  which  means  is  procured  a  finer  grain.  They  are 
then  again  washed  clean  and  wiped  dry.  We  must  remark  that 
the  upper  stone  is  always  found  of  a  finer  grain  than  the  under 
one. 

To  prepare  stones  for  writing  or  ink  drawings,  the  same  process 
is  used.  After  being  rubbed  with  the  brown  sand,  it  is  washed  off, 
and  powdered  pumice-stone  used  instead  :  the  stones  are  after- 
wards washed,  and  each  polished  separately  with  a  fine  piece  of 
pumice-stone,  or  water  Ayr-stone.  Chalk  can  never  be  used  on 
the  stones  prepared  in  this  manner. 

Exactly  the  same  process  is  followed  in  order  to  clean  a  stone 
that  has  already  been  used. 

Lithographic  ink  is  composed  of 

Tallow 2  ounces. 

Virgin  wax 2  ounces. 

Shell-lac 2  ounces. 

Common  soap 2  ounces. 

Lamp-black \  an  ounce. 

"These  materials  are  prepared  in  an  iron  saucepan  with  a 
cover.  The  wax  and  tallow  are  first  put  in  and  heated  till  they 
ignite  ;  whilst  they  are  burning  the  soap  must  be  thrown  in  in 
small  pieces  one  at  a  time,  taking  care  that  the  first  is  melted  be- 
fore a  second  is  put  in.  When  all  the  soap  is  melted,  the  ingredi- 
ents are  allowed  to  continue  burning  till  they  are  reduced  one  third 
in  volume.  The  shell-lac  is  now  added,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  melted 
the  flame  must  be  extinguished.  It  is  often  necessary,  in  the  course 


APPENDIX.  251 

of  the  operation,  to  extinguish  the  flame  and  take  the  saucepan  from 
the  fire,  to  prevent  the  contents  from  boiling  over  ;  but  if  after  the 
process  above  described  any  parts  are  not  completely  melted,  they 
must  be  dissolved  over  the  fire  without  being  again  ignited. 

The  black  is  now  to  be  added,  having  previously  mixed  it  with 
thick  varnish,  made  by  heating  linseed-oil  till  it  will  ignite  from  the 
flame  of  a  piece  of  lighted  paper,  and  allowing  it  to  burn  till 
reduced  to  one  half.  When  it  is  completely  dissolved,  the  whole 
mass  should  be  poured  out  on  a  marble  slab,  and  a  heavy  weight 
laid  upon  it  to  render  its  texture  fine." 

The  utmost  care  and  experience  are  required  in  the  making 
both  of  the  ink  and  chalk,  and  even  those  who  have  had  the  great- 
est practice  often  fail.  Sometimes  it  is  not  sufficiently  burned, 
and  when  mixed  with  water  appears  slimy  ;  it  must  then  be  re- 
melted  and  burned  a  little  more.  Sometimes  it  is  too  much 
burned,  by  which  the  greasy  particles  are  more  or  less  destroyed  : 
in  this  case  it  must  be  remelted  and  a  little  more  soap  and  wax 
added.  This  ink  is  for  writing  or  pen  drawing  on  the  stone.  The 
ink  for  transfers  should  have  a  little  more  wax  in  it. 

Lithographic  chalk  is  made  of 

Common  soap i£  ounce. 

Tallow 2    ounces. 

Virgin  wax 2£  ounces. 

Shall-lac I     ounce. 

Lamp-black \  of  an  ounce. 

The  manner  of  mixing  the  ingredients  is  exactly  the  same  as  in 
preparing  the  lithographic  ink. 

Transfer-paper  is  made  as  follows  : 

Dissolve  in  water  half  an  ounce  of  gum  tragacanth.  Strain  it, 
and  add  one  ounce  of  glue  and  half  an  ounce  of  gamboge.  Then 
take  of 


252  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

French  chalk 4    ounces. 

Old  plaster  of  Paris ^  an  ounce. 

Starch I     ounce. 

Powder  and  sift  them  through  a  fine  sieve  ;  grind  them  with  the 
gum  tragacanth,  glue,  and  gamboge  ;  then  add  sufficient  water  to 
give  it  the  consistence  of  oil,  and  apply  it  with  a  brush  to  thin 
sized  paper. 

The  drawing  or  writing  being  made  on  the  prepared  side  of  this 
paper,  is  transferred  to  the  polished  stone  (which  must  be  warmed 
to  about  125°  Fahrenheit)  by  being  wet  at  the  back  and  placed 
with  the  face  downward  on  the  surface.  The  stone  is  then  passed 
four  or  five  times  under  the  press,  and  the  paper,  being  damped, 
is  taken  off,  when  the  writing  will  be  found  transferred  from  the 
paper  on  to  the  stone.  This  process  is  extremely  useful  for  maps 
and  plans,  etc.,  where  expedition  and  economy  are  required. 

The  subject  intended  to  be  drawn  ought  to  be  traced  on  to  the 
stone  in  red,  as  the  lines  will  more  readily  be  distinguished  from 
those  of  the  lithographic  chalk,  and  in  this  operation,  as  well  as  all 
others,  the  greatest  care  must  be  taken  not  to  lay  the  fingers  on 
any  part  of  the  stone  intended  to  be  worked  upon,  as  the  insensible 
perspiration  of  the  hand  will  be  sufficient  to  print.  If  in  speaking, 
also,  the  smallest  speck  of  saliva  should  fall  upon  the  stone,  it  will 
prevent  the  chalk  from  adhering  to  it,  and  make  a  white  spot. 

The  subject  may  also  be  drawn  on  the  stone  with  a  soft  black- 
lead  pencil,  but  we  do  not  recommend  it,  as  the  similarity  of  color 
occasions  frequent  mistakes  as  to  which  is  chalk  or  which  is  black- 
lead,  so  that  parts  where  the  pencil  has  been  are  frequently  left  un- 
touched by  the  chalk  through  this  mistake. 

When  the  tracing  is  made,  a  bridge  is  placed  over  the  stone  to 
prevent  the  hand  from  touching  it,  and  the  work  is  commenced 
exactly  in  the  same  way  as  in  making  a  drawing  with  a  BBB  black- 
lead  pencil  on  smooth  paper,  with  this  difference,  that  lithographic 


APPENDIX.  253 

drawing  requires  a  greater  degree  of  firmness  to  make  each  stroke 
tell  ;  for  if  sufficient  strength  be  not  employed  to  make  the  chalk 
adhere  firmly  to  the  stone,  it  will  come  off  in  places  in  the  prepara- 
tion, and  spoil  the  whole.  The  execution  of  the  details,  where 
nothing  but  lines  are  wanted,  is  extremely  simple,  but  when  a  flat 
tint  is  required  considerable  practice  is  necessary  to  lay  it  even, 
and  it  is  only  to  be  done  by  continually  working  in  different  direc- 
tions a  great  many  times  with  faint  strokes.  This  operation  is  so 
extremely  tedious  that  many  artists  who  are  in  the  habit  of  work- 
ing on  stone  employ  an  assistant  to  do  all  the  flat  tints. 

Whenever  a  light  is  wanted,  it  may  either  be  left  or  scraped  out 
with  a  scraper  :  the  last  method  is  best  whenever  a  thin  white  line 
is  wanted,  or  such  lights  as  the  foam  of  the  sea. 

If  any  part  is  made  too  dark,  the  only  remedy  is  to  pick  out  the 
chalk  with  a  very  fine  needle  till  it  is  reduced  to  the  requisite 
strength. 

When  the  drawing  is  finished,  it  is  prepared  for  printing  by 
etching-in,  which  operation  consists  in  pouring  over  it  aquafortis, 
diluted  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  acid  to  one  hundred  parts  of 
water.  The  stone  is  placed  in  a  sloping  direction,  and  when  the 
aquafortis  has  run  over  it,  it  is  turned  so  that  the  acid  may  run 
back  again,  producing  a  slight  effervescence  :  the  drawing  on  the 
stone  is  then  washed  with  water,  and  afterwards  weak  gum-water  is 
poured  over  it.  The  use  of  the  acid  is  to  destroy  the  alkali  in  the 
lithographic  chalk,  making  the  stone  refuse  the  printing-ink  except 
where  touched  by  the  chalk  :  the  gum-water  helps  to  fill  up 
the  pores,  and  thereby  prevents  the  lines  of  the  drawing  from 
spreading.  The  proportion  of  acid  in  the  water  should  always  be  a 
little  stronger  for  drawings  made  with  ink  than  those  made  with 
chalk. 

When  the  stone  is  not  too  wet,  the  roller  charged  with  printing- 
ink  is  passed  over  it,  and  the  stone  is  ready  for  printing. 

To  etch  on  stone,  a  highly  polished  one,  such  as  is  used  for 


254  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

writing  on,  is  prepared  by  pouring  over  it  the  aquafortis  as  men- 
tioned above,  which  is  immediately  washed  off.  As  soon  as  dry, 
cover  it  with  gum-water  and  lamp-black,  which  must  also  dry,  when 
it  is  ready  to  etch  upon. 

In  etching,  you  make  use  of  a  needle  as  in  etching  on  copper, 
with  this  difference,  that  you  merely  cut  through  the  gum,  the  lines 
that  are  to  be  dark  being  obtained  by  a  broader  point,  and  not  by 
pressing  deeper  into  the  stone  :  when  the  etching  is  finished,  it  is 
rubbed  all  over  with  linseed-oil,  and  the  gum  washed  off  with 
water.  Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  line  in  this  style  of  work 
looks  much  thicker  than  it  will  print. 

Wood-cuts  maybe  imitated  on  stone  by  covering  with  ink  those 
parts  which  are  meant  to  be  black,  as  in  middle  tint,  and  then 
scratching  out  the  lights  with  an  etching-needle,  whilst  those  lines 
which  come  against  a  white  background  are  best  laid  in  with  a 
very  fine  brush  and  lithographic  ink. 

Very  beautiful  effects  are  produced  in  lithography  by  employ- 
ing a  second  stone,  and  thus  pencil  sketches  on  colored  paper 
touched  up  with  white  are  imitated  in  the  most  perfect  manner. 
The  method  is  as  follows  : 

Take  wax 2  parts. 

soap i  part. 

And  a  little  vermilion  to  color  it.  Melt  it  in  a  saucepan,  and  cast 
it  into  sticks.  Rub  this  composition  with  water  till  it  is  as  thick  as 
cream,  and  then  cover  with  it  a  polished  stone  such  as  is  used  for 
writing  upon.  An  impression  of  the  first  stone  is  applied  to  the 
stone  so  prepared,  and  the  parts  intended  to  be  white  are  then 
taken  out  entirely  with  the  scraper,  whilst  those  intended  for  half 
tints  are  scraped  somewhat  less,  so  that  by  this  method  half  a 
dozen  tints  are  obtained.  The  manner  of  printing  is,  first  to  take 
an  impression  of  the  second  or  tint  stone  in  any  color  the  artist 


APPENDIX.  255 

may  think  will  best  suit  his  subject  ;  on  this  impression  the  first 
stone  is  printed  in  black,  the  greatest  care  being  taken  by  marks  in 
the  first  stone  that  the  two  impressions  fit  exactly,  otherwise  the 
effect  will  be  entirely  spoiled. 

Another  method  is,  after  an  impression  has  been  taken  from  the 
first  stone  to  the  second,  to  cover  the  bright  lights,  which  are  to  be 
left  white,  with  thick  gum-water  and  a  little  vermilion.  The  whole 
is  then  covered  by  rubbing  a  stick  of  the  composition  all  over  it 
very  thick,  after  which  the  superfluous  composition  is  scraped  off 
with  the  straight  edge  of  a  piece  of  ivory  or  horn,  and  what 
remains  well  rubbed  in  with  a  piece  of  the  finest  woollen  cloth 
stretched  over  the  end  of  an  oil-rubber  which  has  never  been  used. 
In  performing  this  operation,  a  fresh  place  in  the  cloth  should  be 
laid  over  the  end  of  the  oil-rubber  after  each  stroke,  which  should 
be  carried  the  whole  length  of  the  stone,  and  the  greatest  care 
taken  to  leave  on,  or  rather  rub  in,  to  the  stone  the  same  quantity 
of  composition  on  every  part,  so  as  if  printed  it  would  give  one 
even  tint  all  over  the  impression. 

The  next  thing  is  to  procure  the  different  degrees  of  middle 
tint,  which  is  to  be  obtained  in  two  different  ways.  First,  where  a 
defined  edge  is  not  wanted  the  composition  is  to  be  rubbed  off 
with  the  woollen  cloth,  and  this  method  is  extremely  useful  for 
clouds,  and  to  soften  the  hard  edges  of  the  positive  whites  which 
have  been  laid  in  with  gum.  In  this  way  also  the  gradation  of 
evening  skies  are  executed. 

In  the  second  method  all  the  middle  tints,  which  have  a  defined 
edge,  must  be  scraped  up  very  carefully,  otherwise  they  will  be 
uneven.  The  scraper  may  also  be  advantageously  used  to  soften 
the  positive  lights. 

When  only  one  tint  with  the  edges  of  the  lights  not  softened  is 
required,  the  quickest  method  is  to  lay  in  the  white  touches  with 
gum,  as  before  directed,  on  the  tint  stone,  after  the  impression  of 
the  first  stone  is  transferred  to  the  stone  intended  to  print  the  col- 


256  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

ored  tint,  and  then  send  it  to  the  printer,  who,  by  passing  the  roller 
two  or  three  times  over  it,  will  give  it  a  tint,  which,  if  necessary, 
may  be  softened  at  the  edges  of  the  white  places,  or  have  fresh 
lights  taken  out  afterwards  with  the  scraper. 

Drawings  are  now  made  on  zinc  plates  :  the  operation  is  then 
called  zincography  ;  and  the  most  beautiful  work,  quite  equal  to 
lithography,  is  produced  by  it.  At  the  same  time  the  great  porta- 
bility of  zinc  plates,  when  compared  with  the  ponderous  stones  re- 
quired for  large  drawings  in  lithography,  would  always  cause  them 
to  be  preferred,  were  it  not  for  the  circumstance  that  nothing  that 
is  once  done  can  be  effaced  and  again  retouched,  nor  can  we  take 
out  the  lights,  which  on  zinc  plates  ought  always  to  be  left. 

These  difficulties  render  zincography  only  fit  to  be  practised  by 
an  artist  certain  of  his  work  and  of  what  he  intends  to  do  :  in  such 
hands  it  has  this  great  advantage,  that  the  faintest  line,  which  in 
lithography  would  perhaps  be  effaced  in  the  etching  in,  is  certain 
to  print. 

Although,  throughout  this  work,  we  have  purposely  abstained 
from  entering  into  those  details  which  belong  exclusively  to  the 
printer,  still  we  think  we  ought  not  to  omit  the  following  extracts 
from  the  Magazine  of  Science. 

If  the  drawing  should  run  smutty  the  following  mixture  for 
cleaning  the  drawing,  while  printing,  must  be  used  :  Take  equal 
parts  of  water,  spirits  of  turpentine,  and  oil  of  olives,  and  shake 
them  well  together  in  a  glass  phial  until  the  mixture  froths  ;  wet 
the  stone,  and  throw  this  froth  upon  it,  and  rub  it  with  a  soft 
sponge.  The  printing-ink  will  be  dissolved,  and  the  whole  drawing 
will  also  disappear,  though,  on  a  close  examination,  it  can  be  dis- 
tinguished in  faint  white  lines.  On  rolling  it  again  with  printing- 
ink  the  drawing  will  gradually  reappear  as  clear  as  at  first. 

Accidents  sometimes  occur  in  the  printing  from  the  quality  of 
the  paper.  If  the  paper  have  been  made  from  rags  which  have 
been  bleached  with  oxymuriatic  acid,  the  drawing  will  be  incurably 


APPENDIX,  257 

spoiled  after  thirty  impressions.  Chinese  paper  has  sometimes  a 
strong  taste  of  alum  ;  this  is  so  fatal  as  sometimes  to  spoil  the 
drawing  after  the  first  impression. 

When  the  stone  is  to  be  laid  by  after  printing,  in  order  that  it 
may  be  used  again  at  a  future  period,  the  drawing  should  be  rolled 
in  with  a  preserving-ink,  as  the  printing-inks  when  dry  would  be- 
come so  hard  that  the  drawings  would  not  take  the  ink  freely. 
The  following  is  the  composition  of  the  preserving-ink  :  Two 
parts  of  thick  varnish  of  linseed-oil,  four  parts  of  tallow,  one  part 
of  Venetian  turpentine,  and  one  part  of  wax.  These  must  be 
melted  together  ;  then,  four  parts  of  lamp-black  very  carefully  and 
gradually  mixed  with  it,  and  it  must  be  preserved  for  use  in  a  close 
tin  box. 


CONTEMPORARY 
ETCHING   AND    ENGRAVING. 


CONTEMPORARY   ETCHING  AND   ENGRAVING. 


THE  present  has  been  called  an  aggressive  age.  In  nothing  is 
it  more  truly  so  than  in  matters  of  art.  With  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century  classicism  seems  to  have  died  in  the  affections 
not  only  of  the  artist,  but  of  the  art-appreciating  public.  The  liv- 
ing generation  is  no  better  satisfied  with  the  studied  formalities  in 
which  its  fathers  delighted,  than  with  the  measured  classical  versi- 
fication they  esteemed  as  poetry.  This  is  an  age  which  calls  for 
striking  results  rapidly  and  promptly  attained,  and  art  has  taken 
forms  in  harmony  with  the  romantic  impetuosity  of  the  century. 
Men's  thoughts  travel  quickly,  and  strike  at  the  essence  of  things. 

Time  seems  too  short  for  art  ;  therefore  art  has  to  condense 
itself,  and  appeal  to  its  patrons  in  forms  which  shall  arrest  their 
attention.  We  find  the  student,  who  half  a  century  ago  would 
have  been  sent  to  Italy  to  perfect  his  education  by  a  careful  study 
of  ancient  classic  art  and  the  old  masters,  hastening  hither  and 
thither  over  the  world.  In  the  far  East,  one  transfers  the  richness 
of  Oriental  color  and  imagination  to  his  canvas.  Another  ex- 
plores the  Arctic  regions  of  the  globe,  or  wanders  amid  the  lofty 
mountain-ranges  of  the  tropics  in  search  of  new  and  striking  ob- 
jects, the  portrayal  of  which  shall  attract  the  attention  and  cater  to 
the  demand  /or  novelty.  In  art,  as  in  literature,  the  craving  of  the 
people  is  for  sensationalism. 

With  these  facts  in  view,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  lovers  of 
true  art  regarded  with  despair  the  possibility  of  any  revival  of  the 


262  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

art  of  engraving  ?  *  Yet  out  of  this  very  disruption  of  time-hon- 
ored systems,  from  this  rebellion  against  the  set  rules  of  the  classic 
schools,  have  arisen  new  forms  of  art  whose  influence  is  now  only 
commencing  to  be  felt.  It  is  not  a  revival,  but  a  new  era,  inaugu- 
rated in  France,  where  under  existing  circumstances  only  could  it 
have  originated. 

Victor  Hugo  and  his  school  helped  to  accomplish  in  literature 
what  such  artists  as  Rousseau,  Daubigny,  and  Corot  did  for  paint- 
ing. Such  men  do  not  find  it  necessary  to  draw  inspiration  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  They  see  that  Nature  has  provided  more 
than  abundant  material  near  at  hand,  and  a  close  intimacy  with 
and  study  of  her  enables  them  to  place  her  before  us  in  new  aspects. 
There  is  no  medium  so  well  adapted  to  the  spirit  of  such  a 
school  of  art  as  etching.  It  has  no  rival  in  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  varied  effects  of  Nature  can  be  seized  and  transmitted  to  the 
copper,  and  in  the  boldness  as  well  as  delicacy  of  execution  of 
which  it  is  susceptible. 

The  painting  of  the  three  artists  referred  to  is  oftentimes  like 
etching  in  its  qualities.  The  charm  it  possesses  is  not  found  in  the 
importance  of  the  subjects  treated,  for  these  are  often  of  the  most 
trivial  character  :  a  foreground  with  perhaps  a  pool  or  a  morass  ;  a 
cluster  of  trees  beyond,  underneath  or  through  whose  branches  is 
a  luminous  effect  of  light  or  sunset,  and  the  whole  pervaded  with 
an  atmosphere  whose  subtle  charm  cannot  be  analyzed.  The 
colors  are  subdued,  the  tones  low  but  harmonious.  The  whole 
is  suggestive,  so  that  the  beholder  realizes  that  although  the  artist 
has  grasped  much  of  what  he  saw,  he  has  left  much  more  for  the 
imagination  to  feed  upon.  Such  paintings  as  these  are  executed  in 
the  true  spirit  of  etching,  and  transition  from  the  brush  to  the 
needle  seems  natural  and  easy. 

Rousseau,  Daubigny,  and  Corot  were  not  great  either  as  engrav- 

*  We  use  the  word  Engraving  in  its  broadest  sense,  as  comprising  Etching,  as  well 
as  Engraving  in  its  various  branches. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  263 

ers  or  etchers,  but  are  cited  as  embodying  the  characteristics  of  the 
contemporary  school  of  art.  Both  Daubigny  and  Corot  executed 
plates,  some  of  which  will  be  referred  to  further  on. 

All  the  greatest  etchers  of  the  past  centuries  were  also  masters 
in  painting. 

Mr.  Hamerton,  in  his  work  "  Etching  and  Etchers,"  has  given  a 
most  exhaustive  analysis  of  the  art,  with  a  critical  appreciation  of 
the  best  masters  of  the  present  century,  and  the  reader  is  referred 
to  his  book  as  by  far  the  best  published  on  the  subject.  As  an 
Englishman,  he  naturally  devotes  a  large  space  to  the  consideration 
of  the  works  of  his  countrymen.  The  English  school,  however, 
appears  in  its  best  work  to  be  in  a  great  degree  the  offspring  of  the 
French.  At  the  same  time  it  might  be  claimed  that  both  have 
been  inspired  by  the  works  of  Rembrandt. 

At  this  time  the  French  school  stands  at  the  head,  and,  with  the 
exception  of  Seymour  Haden,  there  is  no  one  now  in  England 
who  can  be  ranked  as  above  mediocrity,  unless  it  be  Whistler. 

The  German  school  is  advancing  rapidly,  and  bids  fair  to  take  a 
higher  rank  than  it  now  occupies.  The  art  is  also  practised  to 
some  extent  in  Spain.  In  the  United  States  it  is  but  in  its  incipi- 
ent stages  ;  but  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  attain  a  devel- 
opment here  enabling  us  to  take  a  place  with  the  best  the  world 
can  produce. 

The  American  mind  is  especially  adapted  to  the  expression  of 
art  in  this  form,  and,  with  the  encouragement  offered  by  the  con- 
stantly increasing  numbers  of  collectors  and  purchasers,  it  will  no 
doubt  attain  to  a  development  at  once  rapid  and  vigorous.  The 
scenery  of  this  continent  in  its  variety  and  picturesqueness  furnishes 
ample  material  and  scope  to  artistic  genius. 

Pure  line  engraving  is  not  neglected,  although  meeting  with  less 
hearty  appreciation  than  in  the  days  of  Raphael  Morgan,  and  Sir 
Robert  Strange,  whose  works  are  sought  for  more  ardently  than 
ever,  and  constantly  increasing  in  price. 


264  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

To  aid  the  collector  to  select  with  discrimination  from  the  works 
of  contemporary  etchers  and  engravers,  we  give  the  names  of  some 
of  the  principal  artists  of  the  different  schools  or  nationalities,  and 
their  most  desirable  productions.  By  contemporaries  are  meant, 
not  only  living  artists,  but  those  who  have  flourished  within  the  past 
fifty  years. 

THE   FRENCH   SCHOOL. 

CHARLES  MERYON. 

M6ryon  was  one  of  those  erratic  geniuses  who,  like  many 
others  before  him,  died  in  obscure  misery,  but  left  a  precious 
legacy  in  his  works.  During  his  life,  however,  or  until  nearly  its 
close,  he  was  neither  famous  nor  appreciated.  Born  in  Paris  in 
1821,  he  struggled  for  livelihood  as  an  engraver's  drudge,  and 
what  he  produced  in  his  riper  years  was  the  result  of  a  pure  love 
of  his  art,  unstimulated  by  popular  recognition  or  pecuniary  return. 
He  died  in  the  madhouse  at  Charenton  in  1868.  Some  of  his 
finest  plates  were  produced  in  the  midst  of  despair  and  penury, 
when  he  seems  to  have  turned  to  his  art  for  solace.  His  subjects 
are  all  taken  from  the  familiar  surroundings  of  his  Parisian  life, 
and,  like  Michel,  who  wandered  alone  in  the  suburbs  of  Mont- 
martre  with  his  canvas  and  colors,  Meryon  sought  the  sombre  and 
quaint  old  buildings  of  the  Paris  of  the  past,  which,  in  their  contrast 
to  the  gayer  and  happier  quarters  of  the  city,  supplied  the  nourish- 
ment for  his  morbid  appetite.  He  labored  at  reproducing  these 
monuments  of  the  past  with  an  intensity  of  thought  and  imagina- 
tion, which  surrounded  them  with  an  interest  unfelt  before.  His 
principal  plates  are  as  follows,  viz. : 

"  Eaux-Fortes  sur  Paris,  par  C.  M6ryon,  MDCCLII."     Height, 

;  Width,  5. 

"A   Reinier,  dit   Zeeman,    peintre    et    eau-fortier."      H.    7; 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  265 

To  the  artist  "painter  of  sailors,"  one  of  whose  plates  had 
helped  to  inspire  Meryon  with  the  love  of  the  architecture  of  cities. 

"Old  Gate  of  the  Palais  de  Justice."  H.  3!  ;  W.  3^.  The 
Palais  faces  us,  its  round  towers  flanking  the  gate. 

First  state.     Before  all  letters. 

Second  state.  With  "  Paris,  C.  Meryon  f.  it  MDCCCLIV. 
Imp.  rue  N.  S.  Etienne  du  Mont,  26." 

"  Qu'ame  pure  Gemisse."  H.  2^;  W.  i^.  Verses  begin- 
ning thus,  and  bewailing  the  life  of  Paris. 

"  Arms  of  Paris."  H.  5^;  W.  4T4<p  A  symbolical  design,  in 
which  a  galley,  full  sail,  makes  for  the  righto 


"  Fluctuat  nee  Mergitur,"  H.  6^;  W.  6^-.  So  called  from 
the  inscription  upon  a  band  in  the  design,  which  is  a  variation  of 
the  first  "Arms  of  Paris,"  and  has  the  galley  sailing  towards  the 
spectator. 

"  Le  Stryge."  H.  6^;  W.  5^.  The  horned  and  winged  de- 
mon of  stone,  at  an  angle  on  the  heights  of  Notre  Dame,  surveys, 
with  head  on  hands,  the  city  :  the  tower  of  St.  Jacques  in  middle 
distance,  and  the  hill  rising  towards  Montmartre. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 


"  Le  Petit  Pont."  H.  10^-  ;  W.  7TV  The  view  is  taken  from 
the  towing-path  just  above  the  level  of  the  water.  The  bridge  of 
three  arches  is  in  front. 

Tall  houses,  beginning  at  the  left,  recede  into  the  distance,  and 
above  them  rise  the  towers  of  Notre  Dame. 
There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 

"  L'Archedu  Pont  Notre  Dame."  H.  6  ;  W.  7-^.  The  view  is 
taken  almost  from  the  water's  level,  and  consists  chiefly  of  the  arch 
of  the  bridge.  A  tall  woman  of  graceful  figure  stands  in  a  boat. 


266  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

A  workman  is  slung  in  a  rope  to  work  at  the  masonry.  Through 
the  arch  is  seen  the  woodwork  that  supported  the  old  Pompe,  and 
a  bridge  and  towers  are  beyond. 

There  are  three  states  of  this  plate. 

"  La  Galerie  de  Notre  Dame."  H.  11^  ;  W.  7.  A  view  from 
inside  the  tower,  looking  through  the  pointed  arches  out  upon  the 
city.  Ravens  have  lodged  inside  the  arches,  and  flutter  in  the  air 
beyond. 

There  are  three  states  of  this  plate. 

"  La  Rue  des  Mauvais  Galons."  H.  5  ;  W.  3^.  A  Middle 
Age  house,  forbidding  of  aspect,  with  its  big  number,  12,  over  the 
narrow  door  and  barred  windows.  Rain-water  pipes,  protected  by 
great  stones,  at  the  level  of  the  street.  Two  women,  seen  from 
behind,  pass  along  the  pavement. 

There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"Tour  de  1'Horloge."  H.  10/3-  ;  W.  7^.  The  Seine  low  in 
the  foreground,  and  the  Pont  au  Change  with  a  barge  below  its  arch  ; 
but  one  great  building,  the  Palais  de  Justice,  occupies  the  greater 
part  of  the  picture. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 

'  Tourelle,  rue  de  la  Tixeranderie. "  H.  9^- ;  W.  5-^.  A  turret 
at  the  street-corner,  with  neighboring  houses,  Gothic  and  modern, 
and  a  by-way  in  deep  shadow. 

There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"St.  Etienne  du  Mont."  H.  9^;  W.  5-^.  The  west  front 
of  the  church  faces  us  in  the  background,  and  before  it  on  the  left, 
mostly  in  deep  shadow,  is  the  old  Gothic  College  de  Montaigu,  and 
to  the  right  the  angle  of  the  Pantheon,  with  workmen  engaged  on 
its  masonry. 

There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  267 

"La  Pompe  Notre  Dame."  H.  6^-;  W.  10.  The  engine- 
house,  with  tower,  supported  on  innumerable  woodwork,  at  the 
foot  of  which  the  water  flows  and  little  river  boats  pass.  In  the 
middle  distance,  the  houses  of  the  quay,  and  behind  them  the  tow- 
ers of  Notre  Dame. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 

"Le  Petite  Pompe."  H.  4^;  W.  3^.  A  little  design  as 
of  graceful  cordage — idealized  water  pipes — springing  from  the 
dainty  Pompe  in  miniature  at  bottom,  and  surrounding  lines  of 
verse,  which  tell  the  building  fated  to  destruction  that  "  il  faut 
mourir." 

"  Le  Pont  Neuf."  H.  7-^  ;  W.  7^.  The  three  last  arches  of 
the  Pont  Neuf ;  the  piers  of  the  bridge  still  topped  with  turret-like 
buildings  used  as  shops. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 

"Le  Pontau  Change."  H.  6^  ;  W.  13^5-.  The  long  bridge 
crosses  the  picture  from  the  left,  to  the  Palais  de  Justice  on  the 
right.  Near  it  is  moored  a  little  wooden  bath-house  or  lavoir,  and 
behind  it  rises,  small  in  the  distance,  the  tower  of  Pompe. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 

"  L'Esperance. "  H.  2T4g- ;  W.  5.  Lines  of  verse  written  to 
accompany  the  Pont  au  Change.  They  begin,  "  L6ger  aerostat, 
o  divine  esp6rance. " 

"La  Morgue."  H.  9^ ;  W.  8^-  The  old  Morgue  of  Me"- 
ryon's  day,  as  seen  from  the  quay-side.  Wash-houses  low  in  the 
foreground.  Behind  and  above  the  Morgue  a  background  of  tall 
houses. 

In  the  front  a  body  borne  to  the  dead-house  :  the  scene  wit- 
nessed by  alarmed  women  and  a  curious  crowd. 

There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 


«68  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"  L'Hotellerie  de  la  Mort."  H.  4^  ;  W.  I-&.  On  two  sepa- 
rate plates,  printed  generally  on  the  same  paper,  but  in  two  colors, 
is  a  set  of  melancholy  verses  to  accompany  the  Morgue. 

"L'Abside  de  Notre  Dame  de  Paris."  H.  6^  ;  W.  1  1  •&. 
The  Church  of  Notre  Dame  and  its  neighborhood  seen  from  be- 
hind, the  apse  being  nearest  us. 

There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 

"  Le  Tombeau  de  Moliere."  H.  2^  ;  W.  2-fa.  A  fancy  com- 
position ;  a  crown  of  laurels  surrounding  the  tomb  of  Moliere. 

"Tourelle,  dite  de  Marat."  H.  8^;  W.  5^.  The  corner 
turret  of  the  Rue  de  1'Ecole  de  Medecine  —  the  house  in  which 
Marat  was  assassinated. 

The  house  opposite  is  seen,  and  the  junction  of  the  streets.  In 
the  sky  in  proofs  and  the  first  state  there  is  a  symbolical  repre- 
sentation of  Truth,  Justice,  and  oppressed  Innocence. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 


"  Rue  des  Chantres.  "  H.  iiT87  ;  W.  $-fo-  Tall  houses  rise  on 
each  side  of  the  very  narrow  and  shadowed  street.  Weird  figures 
throng  the  foreground. 

There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"  Ministere  de  la  Marine."  H.  6^  ;  W.  5^.  The  building 
indicated  on  the  title  is  seen  from  the  side.  Wild  creatures  in  the 
sky. 

There  are  four  states  of  this  plate. 

"Bain    Froid    Chevrier."      H.   5  ;    W.  6^.     Chevrier's   bath- 
house to  the  right  of  the  bridge. 
There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"  Le  Pont  au  Change  vers  1784."     H.  5T3F  ;  W. 
There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  269 

"  Le  Pont  Neuf  et  la  Samaritaine  de  dessous  la  premiere  arche 
<iu  Pont  au  Change."  H.  ^^\  W.  8.  High  in  the  foreground  the 
arch  of  the  Pont  au  Change  filling  the  upper  part  of  the  picture. 

"Rue  Pirouette."     H.   5  ;    W.  4^.      A  place  where   streets 
meet,  and  tall  houses,  old  and  new,  cluster  together. 
There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 

"  Partie  de  la  Cit6  de  Paris,  vers  la  fin  du  xviime  Siecle."  H. 
6  ;  W.  I2T7¥.  Behind  a  thin  line  of  water  in  the  immediate  fore- 
ground there  stretches  a  long  row  of  timbered  houses  of  the  Middle 
Ages,  with  many  details  of  their  architecture  delicately  traced. 

There  are  three  states  of  this  plate. 

"  Entree   du    Convent   des  Capuchins   Franchise,  a  Athenes." 

H.  7TV ;  w.  5. 

There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"  A  Doorway."  H.  6^  ;  W.  4^.  A  light  sketch  of  a  door, 
and  of  the  carvings  round  it.  It  is  doubtless,  like  the  two  next 
numbers,  a  souvenir  of  Bourges.  Rare. 

"  Ancienne  Habitation  a  Bourges."  H.  9^  ;  W.  5^.  A  line 
of  houses,  chiefly  wooden  and  overhanging,  recedes,  into  the  back- 
ground to  the  right. 

There  are  two  states  of  this  plate. 

"  La  Rue  des  Toiles  a  Bourges."     H.  8TV  ;  W.  4TV 
There  are  five  states  of  this  plate. 

Meryon's  etchings,  when  in  a  good  state,  and  early  impressions,  command  high 
and  constantly  increasing  prices.  At  Burty's  sale  in  London,  in  1876,  L'Abside  de 
Notre  Dame  de  Paris  brought  ^17  ;  Le  Pont  au  Change,  £$  $s.  in  the  first  state,  and 
£4  6s.  in  the  third  state  ;  La  Morgue,  £,  5;  Ancienne  Porte  du  Palais  de  Justice,  £6  los. 
This  was  a  trial  proof.  Le  Stryge,  .£3  i8j.  ;  St.  Etienne  du  Mont,  a  trial  proof,  £&  IS*. ; 
Tourelle  de  la  rue  de  1'Ecole  de  Medicine,  £3  15-1-.  At  a  sale  In  London  at  Sotheby's  in 
1879,  Le  Stryge,  in  the  second  state,  brought  .£3  8s.  Le  Pont-Neuf,  £4  los  ; 
L'Abside  de  Notre  Dame,  a  proof,  £1-2  12*.  ;  Le  Pont  au  Change,  proof,  £4  los. 


270  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

CHARLES   FRANQOIS  DAUBIGNY. 

THIS  artist,  almost  as  well  known  and  highly  appreciated  in 
America  as  in  his  native  country',  was  born  in  Paris  in  1817.  His 
father  was  a  landscape  painter,  but  poor,  so  that  Daubigny  was 
early  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  his  individual  industry  and  ability 
for  support.  After  years  of  menial  labor  with  both  brush  and  pen- 
cil, during  which  he  managed  to  make  a  pilgrimage,  mostly  on 
foot,  to  Italy,  he  began,  about  1840,  to  exhibit  pictures  at  the  Paris 
salons,  which  gave  indication  of  the  originality  and  bent  of  his 
genius.  From  that  time  until  his  death,  in  1878,  he  continually 
rose  in  distinction  and  in  public  estimation. 

Reared  in  a  school  and  under  the  influences  of  a  classic  taste,  he 
was  one  of  the  artists  to  whom  contemporary  art  is  so  much  indebted, 
and  who  aided  in  raising  to  distinction  the  revived  art  of  etching. 
For  many  years  he  found  employment  in  making  designs  for  pub- 
lishers of  books.  This  prepared  the  way  for  attempts  with  the 
etching  needle,  and  in  1841  and  1845  he  exhibited  several  plates 
executed  by  himself. 

From  that  time  until  his  death,  in  1878,  he  exercised  his  talent 
in  the  production  of  over  one  hundred  plates.  These  embrace  a 
variety  of  subjects,  but  are  mostly  landscapes,  taken  on  the  banks 
of  lakes  and  rivers,  silent,  shady  nooks,  consecrated  to  an  artist's 
love  for  a  virgin  nature.  Daubigny  loved  these  scenes  best  in  the 
spring  time,  when  the  verdure  vied  with  the  atmosphere  in  freshness 
and  brilliancy.  The  style  of  Daubigny's  etchings  is  pure  and 
simple,  and  very  direct,  although  often  full  of  faults  in  drawing. 
He  seldom  rises  to  grandeur  either  in  subject  or  execution.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  never  fails  to  attract,  so  that  the  uninitiated 
take  pleasure  in  his  work,  which  is  full  of  sympathetic  tenderness. 

Unfortunately,  he  did  not  preserve  the  coppers  upon  which  his 
first  etchings  were  done,  effacing  them  after  taking  a  few  impres- 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  271 

sions,  that  the  plates  might  be  used  for  other  designs.  For  this 
reason  some  of  the  artist's  earlier  works  are  very  scarce. 

In  the  following  list  are  comprised  but  a  portion  of  the  etchings 
of  Daubigny,  but  such  as  will  best  convey  an  idea  of  his  style,  and 
are  the  most  desirable  to  possess. 

The  titles  given  are  the  original  ones  in  French  : 

"  La  Noce  de  Village."  A  rare  plate,  signed  and  dated  1840. 
The  bride  and  groom  are  followed  by  a  long  line  of  peasants  in 
holiday  costume.  At  P.  Burty's  sale  in  London,  1876,  an  impres- 
sion of  the  first  state  fetched  £1  i6s. 

"  La  Cote  des  deux  amants  ;  Environs  de  Rouen."  A  small 
piece  with  an  ornamental  border,  not  signed,  and  of  very  delicate 
execution.  Sold  at  Burty's  sale  for  i?s. 

"  Interior  de  la  Grande  Serre. "  Signed  ;  for  the  "  Jardin  des 
Plantes." 

"  Environs  de  Choisy-le-Roi."  A  river  flowing  between  banks 
rich  with  verdure. 

"  La  Mare  aux  Cerfs. "  Two  deer  drinking  in  a  pool  in  an  open 
space  in  a  forest.  A  rare  plate,  of  which  an  impression  in  the  first 
state  fetched  £4  iCtf.  at  a  sale  in  London. 

"  Les  Baigneuses  ;  souvenir  du  rue  de  Valmondois."  Women 
bathing  in  a  river  bordered  by  trees.  An  extremely  rare  plate, 
few  having  been  printed. 

"  L'Abreuvoir."  Fac-simile  of  a  drawing  by  Claude  in  the 
Lcuvre.  1849.  An  impression  in  the  second  state  was  sold  for 
£i  12s.  at  auction. 

"  L'Incendie  de  la  Ferme."  Only  three  impressions  known, 
one  of  which  was  sold  in  1876,  at  auction,  for  £3  14?. 


272  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

'  Vue  Prise  aux  environs  de  Subiaco. "     Sold  in  the  first  state 
of  the  plate  for  £2  Ss.  at  auction. 

"  Le  Grand  Pare  a  Moutons. "  The  sheep  are  lying  in  groups, 
and  on  the  right  is  the  hut  of  the  shepherd.  A  morning  effect. 

'Voyage  en  Bateau."     A  set  of  fifteen  etchings,   including  a 
title.     Some  of  these  are  very  fine.     They  were  done  in  1862. 

JEAN-FRANCOIS  MILLET. 

MILLET  was  one  of  the  most  serious-minded  of  the  modern 
French  artists.  He  was  born  in  Normandy,  in  1814,  in  the  midst  of 
its  most  rugged  and  picturesque  scenery.  The  son  of  hard-working 
peasants,  and  one  of  a  large  family,  he  received  little  aid  or  en- 
couragement from  his  parents  in  following  the  pursuit  he  had 
chosen.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  went  to  Cherbourg  to 
study,  and  three  years  later,  through  the  aid  of  a  pension  granted 
by  the  municipality  of  that  city,  became  a  pupil  of  Paul  Delaroche 
at  Paris. 

He  seems  to  have  literally  fought  his  way  onward  and  upward 
to  the  high  position  he  occupied  at  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1875. 
No  one,  having  studied  the  works  of  this  man,  or  with  any  knowl- 
edge of  his  life,  can  fail  to  do  homage  to  his  memory. 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  of  late  years  of  the  dignity  of 
labor.  There  is  no  dignity  in  labor  by  itself,  although  it  is  always 
respectable,  but  a  man  may  invest  it  with  both  dignity  and  honor. 
Millet  has  imparted  to  his  delineations  of  peasant  life  an  elevation 
and  serious  ideality  which,  as  one  of  his  critics  observes,  arises 
from  his  sincerity  toward  himself,  toward  men,  and  toward  nature. 
During  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life,  when  in  the  maturity  of 
his  powers,  and  producing  the  works  which  have  made  him  im- 
mortal as  a  painter,  he  resided  with  his  family  in  the  village  of 
Barbizon,  on  the  borders  of  the  forest  of  Fontainebleau,  away  from 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  273 

the  blaze  of  the  capital,  and  always  in  the  midst  of  the  peasant  life 
he  loved  to  delineate. 

As  an  etcher  he  stands  pre-eminent,  although  the  number  of 
plates  executed  by  him  is  less  than  twenty.  Yet  all  of  these  are 
worthy  a  place  in  the  highest  rank.  Original,  earnest,  and  sym- 
pathetic, they  possess  the  qualities  found  in  his  best  productions 
upon  canvas.  They  do  not  appeal  to  the  many,  but  a  serious  lover 
of  art  will  find  in  them  a  marvellous  depth  and  intensity,  evidently 
the  result  of  fervent  thought.  Take,  for  example,  the  etching 
"  Les  Terrassiers, "  one  of  the  largest  of  his  plates,  in  which  two- 
peasants  are  represented  laboring  with  the  hoe.  This  is  a  good 
illustration  of  what  has  been  said  of  the  earnestness  and  dignity 
with  which  the  simplest  of  his  subjects  are  imbued.  "  Les 
Glaneuses" — three  peasant  women  bending  over  the  ground,  and 
laboriously  gathering  the  remains  of  the  harvest — is  another  work 
possessing  the  remarkable  characteristics  referred  to. 

The  following  list  comprises  the  most  important  of  Millet's 
etchings,  fourteen  in  number.  All  are  rather  large  in  size  : 

"  La  Cardeuse  de  Laine."     She  sits  turned  toward  the  right. 

"  La  Veillee. "  Two  peasants  sitting  in  a  hut,  sewing  by  the 
light  of  an  antique  lamp. 

"  La  Tricoteuse. " 
Les  Terrassiers. 
"  Les  Glaneuses." 
"  L'Homme  a  la  Brouette. " 

"La  Femme  qui  bat  le  beurre. "  She  is  turned  to  the  left, 
with  a  cat  near  her  feet. 

"  La  Couseuse. "     Sitting  near  a  window. 


274  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"L'Arriv6e  aux  Champs."  A  peasant  with  a  fork  on  his 
shoulder,  with  a  young  woman  walking  by  him. 

"  La  Femme  faisant  Manger  son  Enfant."  She  holds  her  child 
on  her  knees. 

"  Bergere  tricotant."  She  stands  turned  toward  the  left,  and 
a  dog  is  watching  some  sheep  in  the  plain. 

"  Gardeuse  d'Oies."  Standing  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  with  the 
left  hand  resting  against  a  tree. 

"  Gardeuse  de  Ch&vres."     She  walks  toward  the  right,  knitting. 

"  Mouton  Paissant."  Walking  toward  the  left.  A  plain  in 
the  background,  and  a  shepherd  leaning  on  his  staff. 

CHARLES  JACQUE. 

THIS  artist  is  a  Parisian,  although  in  his  works  he  draws  no 
inspiration  from  the  life  and  scenes  of  the  capital.  As  an  etcher, 
he  is  known  by  between  four  and  five  hundred  plates  executed 
during  a  long,  busy  life ;  for,  born  in  1813,  he  is  said  to  have  etched 
in  his  seventeenth  year. 

As  a  painter,  we  are  familiar  with  him  in  this  country  in  the 
cool,  dark-toned  wooded  landscapes,  with  flocks  of  sheep,  which 
he  knows  so  well  how  to  paint.  These  pictures  have  great  merit, 
but  are  not  extremely  popular,  owing  to  the  sombre  tints  with 
which  they  are  pervaded. 

His  etchings  are  delightful  in  their  way,  and  represent  not  only 
landscapes  in  great  variety,  but  episodes  of  country  life  and  farm 
scenes.  These  are  taken  from  studies  in  Burgundy.  The  land- 
scapes are  filled  with  his  favorite  sheep,  cattle,  cottages,  farm  build- 
ings, and  busy  peasants,  all  presenting  pictures  of  rural  life  and 
occupation  in  a  most  pleasing  way. 

There  is  nothing  grand  or  original  in  the  conceptions  of  Jacque. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  275 

The  work  in  his  plates  is  easy  and  unaffected.  It  would  be  useless 
to  rank  him  among  the  great  masters  of  the  art  of  etching,  for 
such  he  is  not;  at  the  same  time  the  artists  who  excel  him  are 
few  in  number.  Some  of  his  etchings,  in  the  treatment  of  the 
trees  and  foliage,  remind  one  of  Waterloo. 

In  1866  Mr.  Guiffrey  published  in  Paris  a  volume  giving  an 
account  of  Jacque,  and  a  list  or  catalogue-raisonne  of  four  hundred 
and  twenty  plates  by  him.  His  etchings  do  not  sell  at  high  prices, 
and,  for  a  comparatively  moderate  sum,  the  collector  may  secure 
a  small  and  very  pleasing  assemblage  of  his  works. 

BRACQUEMOND,    COROT,    JACQUEMART,     APPIAN, 

HENRI  LEYS. 

BRACQUEMOND  was  born  at  Paris  in  1833.  He  has  etched  a 
number  of  original  plates,  and  many  after  the  paintings  and  designs 
of  other  artists.  His  published  prints  are  very  numerous,  and  rare 
examples  of  early  states  bring  good  prices  at  sales. 

"  La  Haut  d'un  Battant  de  Porte."  The  second  proof  of  the 
first  state  sold  for  £6  i$s.  at  auction  in  1878  ;  whereas  a  copy  of 
the  fifth  state  brought  5^.,  and  of  the  sixth  state,  $s. 

"  Le  Corbeau."     First  state  brought  £$  los. 
"  Les  Taupes."     First  state,  .£3  js. 

COROT's  etchings  are  pleasing  reminders  of  his  pictures,  which 
are  well  known  and  thoroughly  appreciated  by  amateurs  in  Amer- 
ica. They  are  few  in  number  and  do  not  command  high  prices, 
nor  are  they  remarkable  as  etchings. 

Among  them  may  be  named  : 

"La  Barque  sous  les  Saules." 
"  Souvenir  d'  Italic." 


276  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"Arbres  au  pied  d'un  Coteau."  The  dome  of  St.  Peter's  in 
the  background. 

JACQUEMART  was  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  delineators  of 
still  life  who  ever  handled  the  etcher's  needle.  Any  object  he  at- 
tempted to  reproduce  received  full  value  and  loving  appreciation  at 
his  hands.  He  etched  porcelain,  arms,  sculptures,  carvings,  and 
all  manner  of  artistic  curiosities,  with  a  life  and  fidelity  truly  won- 
derful. Examples  of  these  are  not  now  difficult  to  procure. 
Amongst  etchings  of  paintings  he  executed  a  series  after  several 
of  the  most  noteworthy  works  by  the  old  masters  in  the  collection 
of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  in  New  York. 

APPIAN  is  an  etcher  of  streams  and  rocks.  Where  Daubigny 
sought  banks  rich  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  Appian  drew  the 
rocky  stream,  worn  channels,  and  furrowed  boulders,  wild  and  pic- 
turesque. His  management  of  lights  and  shadows  is  extremely 
clever,  and  there  is  an  attractive  originality  in  his  work.  The  im- 
pressions upon  Japanese  paper  are  the  most  desirable. 

HENRI  LEYS  was  a  great  artist.  Born  in  Antwerp  in  1815,  he 
died  in  1869,  leaving  a  reputation  achieved  by  few.  The  subjects 
of  his  pictures,  as  well  as  of  his  etchings,  are  historical.  He  rarely 
descended  to  anything  bordering  upon  "  genre." 

As  his  etchings  are  not  well  known  in  this  country,  a  list  of 
some  of  the  most  important  is  appended : 

"  La  Marche  du  CordamneV' 

"  L'Interieur  Rustique." 

"  Les  Archers." 

"  La  Rencontre." 

"  Une  Reunion  de  Reformed." 

"  La  Messe  a  1'Epitre." 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  277 

"  Marguerite. a  1'Eglise." 
"  Faust  et  Wagner." 

"  L'Interieur  de  Luther."  A  copy  of  this  has  sold  at  auction 
for  £4  4s. 

THE  ENGLISH  SCHOOL. 

WE  are  not  in  this  country  great  admirers  of  modern  English 
pictorial  art. 

The  works  of  the  artists  of  the  Continent  of  Europe  are  pre- 
ferred to  those  of  Albion,  not  only  by  collectors,  but  by  the  public 
at  large.  It  is  not  because  they  are  unknown  to  us,  or  too  expen- 
sive for  the  purses  of  our  amateurs,  nor  because,  as  has  sometimes 
been  stated,  that  they  find  a  better  market  at  home. 

The  true  reason  may  probably  be  found  in  the  fact  that  the 
English  conception  of  Art,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  seeks  ex- 
pression, is  not  congenial  to  us,  and  finds  little  response  on  this 
side  of  the  ocean. 

In  thus  speaking  of  English  art  and  artists,  reference  is  made 
not  to  the  exceptions,  but  to  the  general  rule — to  the  predominant 
idea  or  impression  derived  from  the  school  as  a  whole. 

The  stolid  English  character  finds  pleasure  in  an  exact  and 
"honest  "  representation  of  Nature.  The  work  produced  is  faith- 
ful, and  even  servile.  Nature  is  not  interpreted  ;  she  is  copied— 
reproduced.  One  is  reminded  of  the  painter  who,  in  striving  after 
truth  and  fidelity,  had  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees  brought  into 
his  court-yard,  that  he  might  delineate  them  with  greater  faithful- 
ness, forgetting  all  the  time  that  the  soul  of  the  trees  had  been  left 
behind  in  the  forest. 

Take,  for  example,  the  paintings  of  the  nude  human  figure 
attempted  by  English  artists.  How  rarely  they  are  successful,  or 
even  bearable.  We  are  overcome  with  the  reality  of  the  nudity, 


278  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

and  offended  at  the  absence  of  the  ideal  beauty  of  which  the  sub- 
ject treated  is,  or  should  be,  but  the  medium. 

It  is  a  significant  fact,  that  while  probably  more  than  one  half  of 
the  works  of  the  greatest  etchers  and  engravers  of  the  past  are  in 
the  hands  of  English  collectors,  their  influence  has  created  no  great 
masters  in  this  direction.  There  may  be  exceptions,  but  this  is  a 
fact  which  can  hardly  be  disputed. 

If  an  English  connoisseur  were  asked  to  name  the  principal 
etcher  in  his  country,  he  would  probably  at  once  reply  with  the 
name  of  Seymour  Haden,  and  have  difficulty  in  finding  another  to 
whom  he  would  refer  as  worthy  of  unusual  attention. 

Haden's  style  and  conception  of  art  are  essentially  Continental, 
and  while  he  possesses  much  originality,  he  is  of  the  school  of 
Rembrandt,  and  has  also  evidently  drawn  inspiration  from  the 
French  landscape  art  of  this  century. 

These  statements  are  not  made  with  the  view  of  disparagement, 
but  rather  as  an  evidence  that  we  must  look  more  to  the  future  than 
to  the  past  for  greatness  in  the  English  school  of  etchers. 

FRANCIS  SEYMOUR  HADEN. 

HADEN  is  not  a  professional  artist,  but  a  surgeon,  living  in  Lon- 
don. In  both  capacities  he  seems  to  have  won  a  deserved  repu- 
tation. Having  relinquished  for  a  time  all  professional  surgical 
practice,  he  produced  in  the  interval  a  number  of  landscape  etch- 
ings which  have  made  his  name  known  throughout  the  artistic 
world,  the  more  so  as  he  stands  in  his  own  country  with  few  rivals 
as  a  pure  interpreter  of  Nature. 

His  plates  were  first  published  in  Paris  as  a  collection,  and  after- 
wards in  London,  and  were  at  once  the  object  of  enthusiastic 
praise.  Of  late  years  he  has  produced  comparatively  little.  As  is 
usual  in  such  cases,  the  market  value  of  the  collection  rose  rapidly. 
An  early  impression  of  a  single  plate  will  now  sell  for  as  large  a  sum 
as  was  originally  asked  for  the  whole  series. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  *79 

The  subjects  he  treats  are  entirely  landscape.  His  art  is  a  mat- 
ter of  feeling,  with  an  intuitive  facility  for  its  expression  with  the 
needle.  He  has  not  proved  himself  a  great  artist  outside  of  the 
line  in  which  he  has  practised,  and  it  is  possible,  if  not  probable, 
that  had  he  received  a  thorough  technical  art  education,  he  would 
not  have  produced  for  us  the  exquisite  bits  of  scenery  which  delight 
through  their  untrammelled  freshness. 

His  principal  plates  are  as  follows,  viz. : 

"  The  Breaking  up  of  the  Agamemnon."  A  copy  of  the  first 
state  was  sold  at  auction  in  London,  in  1879,  f°r  ^6,  and  in  the 
second  state  for  £3  gs. 

"  The  Towing  Path  "  brought  .£3  at  the  same  sale. 
"  Morent's  Bay  "  brought,  in  first  state,  .£3   12s. 
"  By-Road  in  Tipperary  "  brought  £7  los. 

"  Shere  Mill-Pond,"  copy  in  second  state  sold  for  £4  i6s.  at 
the  Burty  sale  in  1876. 

"  Fishermen  on  the  Thames."  A  copy  in  the  first  state  brought 
£4  2s.  at  the  sale  of  the  second  portion  of  the  Burty  collection  in 
1878.  A  copy  in  the  second  state  brought  £3  ns.t  and  in  the 
fourth  state,  £4  4*. 

"  Lord  Harrington's  House  in  Kensington  Gardens."  A  copy  of 
the  first  state  brought  £3  75. 

"  Mytton  Hall."     Copy  in  first  state  sold  for  £6  12s. 

*'  Egham  "  brought,  in  first  state,  £4. 

"  Egham  Lock."     A  trial  proof  brought  £g  gs. 

"  Sub  Tegmine."  A  copy  in  first  state  brought  £9  gs.  This 
was  a  trial  proof. 

"Shere  Mill-Pond."     The  small  study  brought  .£10  los. 
"Stems,  a  Study,"  sold  for  £4  43.     A  trial  proof. 


280  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"  Battersea  Reach."     A  proof  brought  £8  8s. 

"  Whistler's  House,  Old  Chelsea."  Copy  in  early  state  sold  for 
£7  7s> 

"  A  Sunset  in  Ireland."     Early  state,  sold  for  £5  $s. 

"  Early  Morning,  Richmond  Park."  Sold  for  £4- 
"  Kew  Side."  A  trial  proof  was  sold  for  .£10  IO.T. 
"  A  River  in  Ireland."  A  copy  in  first  state  sold  for  £9. 

The  plates  named  do  not  by  any  means  comprise  all  that  have 
been  executed  by  Haden,  but  are  some  of  those  most  esteemed.  In 
the  ordinary  or  later  states  of  impression  the  prices  realized  at 
auction  are  lower  than  those  quoted  above,  which  are  given  not  so 
much  as  a  guide  to  the  collector  as  an  indication  of  the  estimate 
placed  upon  these  prints  by  collectors. 

J.  M.  W.  TURNER. 

A  notice  of  the  English  school  of  etching  and  engraving 
would  be  incomplete  without  the  mention  of  the  name  of  Turner. 
By  the  present  generation  of  his  countrymen  he  is  regarded  as  the 
greatest  painter  in  landscape  England  has  ever  produced,  and  his 
works  sell  at  fabulous  and  constantly  increasing  prices. 

He  will  doubtless  always  occupy  a  high  place  in  the  artistic 
annals  of  his  country ;  but  it  is  probable  that  many  of  his  pictures, 
and  especially  those  executed  in  the  latter  part  of  his  long  and 
busy  life,  will  cease  to  attract  the  attention  now  bestowed  upon 
them. 

It  is  not,  however,  as  a  painter  that  Turner  is  to  be  considered 
in  this  notice,  but  as  an  engraver.  He  executed  and  published  a 
series  of  copper-plates  known  as  the  "  Liber  Studiorum."  These 
plates  are  neither  etchings  nor  engravings,  but  a  union  of  both 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  281 

these  methods.  He  etched  in  his  thoughts,  and  created  lights  and 
shadows  by  means  of  mezzotint. 

When  first  published  they  met  with  comparatively  no  favor 
from  the  public,  and  quantities  of  the  earlier  impressions  are  said 
to  have  been  used  to  kindle  fires. 

Turner's  engravings  are  printed  in  brown  ink,  in  imitation  of 
sepia,  after  the  manner  of  Claude's  "  Liber  Veritatis."  Much  of 
the  work  is  so  delicate,  that  in  order  to  fully  appreciate  the  merit 
of  these  prints,  it  is  necessary  to  see  them  in  the  earliest  states  of 
impression.  They  are  now  difficult  to  procure,  and  costly. 

Were  Turner  known  to  the  world  as  the  author  of  this  series  of 
engravings  only,  it  is  curious  to  speculate  what  would  have  been 
its  judgment  respecting  them,  uninfluenced  by  the  lustre  shed  upon 
them  by  his  great  works  in  painting. 

It  is  difficult  to  give  any  very  correct  idea  of  the  market  value 
of  Turner's  etchings,  but  a  few  quotations  from  a  late  sale  at 
Sotheby's,  in  London  (June,  1879),  may  be  of  service : 

"  The  Hindoo  Worshipper."  (The  pure  etching)  sold  for 
£2  los. 

"  Windmill  and  Lock."     Etching,  £4  4*. 

"  Inverary  Pier,  Loch  Fyne."     Etching,  £4  gs. 

"  Water-Mill."     £4. 

"  Crypt  of  Kirkstall  Abbey."     £4. 

" The  Mildmay  Sea  Piece."    Second  state  of  the  etching,  £,2  5$. 

"  Mer  de  Glace,  Valley  of  Chamouny."     £4  6s. 

"  Solitude."     £4. 

"  Dumblaine  Abbey,  Scotland."     £3  3*. 


282  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

"  Bonneville,  Savoy."     £2  i$s. 
"^Esacusand  Hesperie."     £3  i$s- 
"  East  Gate,  Winchelsea."     £S. 
"Isis."     £$. 

4  The  Felucca."     (One   of  the  early  impressions  of  an  unpub- 
lished plate), 


In  Turner's  house,  after  his  death,  were  found  some  mezzotint 
copper-plates,  from  which  a  number  of  impressions  were  printed. 

For  these,  which  are  considered  as  the  earliest  states,  the  fol- 
lowing prices  have  been  realized  at  sales  : 

"  Thunderstorm  at  Sea."     £3  $s. 

"  Thunderstorm,  with  View  of  a  Town."     £3  los. 

"  Calm,  Study  of  Clouds  and  Sea."     £2  los. 

"  Hereford."     £4.  43. 

"  Two  Boats  Taken  in  a  Squall."     ^3  ?s.  6d. 

Among  the  noted  artists  of  the  English  school  were  Sir  David 
Wilkie,  Geddes  and  Samuel  Palmer,  who  etched  plates  worthy  of 
especial  mention,  although  their  works  are  few. 

Wilkie's  etchings  are  seven  in  number,  all  figure-subjects,  and 
mostly  dry  point.  Those  of  Geddes  are  also  few  in  number  and 
executed  in  dry  point. 

Samuel  Palmer  etched  six  plates  of  great  merit.  His  work  re- 
sembles mezzotint,  although  apparently  done  entirely  with  the 
needle  and  bitten  with  acid. 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  283 

SPANISH  ARTISTS. 

ANY  account  of  modern  etchers  would  be  incomplete  without 
some  mention  of  such  artists  as  Francisco  Goya  and  Mariano 
Fortuny. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  greater  contrast  than  is  exhib- 
ited between  the  works  of  Murillo  and  Velasquez,  and  those  of 
Goya  and  Fortuny.  The  former  lived  under  the  old  regime,  and 
were  guided  by  the  same  influences  which  gave  to  the  world  the  great 
Italian  and  Spanish  masterpieces  of  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth 
centuries  ;  those  earnest  and  serious  works,  appealing  to  the  high- 
est sentiments  which  religion  and  poetry  in  art  are  capable  of  in- 
spiring. In  the  works  of  the  latter  we  have  an  exemplification  of 
what  emancipation  of  thought,  revolutions  and  scepticism  can 
do  for  art.  In  the  case  of  Goya  it  was  more  than  this  ;  it  was  a 
degeneration  into  license  worthy  of  the  epoch  of  the  great  revolu- 
tions in  Europe,  which  overturned  monarchies  and  inaugurated  the 
reign  of  political  and  moral  disorder. 

Goya  was  born  in  1746  and  died  in  1828.  His  talent  as  a  painter 
is  acknowledged,  and  as  an  etcher  he  is  bold  and  vigorous  as  he 
is  incomprehensible.  The  work  of  M6ryon,  weird  and  replete  as  it 
is  with  the  vagaries  of  a  vagabond  imagination,  is  tame  when  com- 
pared to  the  artistic  ravings  of  Goya.  It  is  difficult  to  describe 
them  or  their  incoherencies.  At  the  same  time,  their  claim  as  ar- 
tistic productions  cannot  be  disputed,  nor  his  name  effaced  from 
the  catalogue  of  Spanish  artists.  He  etched  street  scenes,  vaga- 
bonds, bull-fights,  and  the  darkest  scenes  in  which  Spanish  human 
nature  can  be  supposed  to  figure.  The  series  of  eighty  plates  known 
as  the  "  Caprichos  "  comprise  subjects  of  all  classes,  from  the  pa- 
thetic to  the  demoniacal.  Many  of  them  are  puerile  in  their  exe- 
cution, while  others  are  works  of  a  high  order  of  genius.  They  are 
etched  in  a  coarse,  black  manner,  with  vigorous  lights  and  the 
blackest  of  shadows. 


284  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

The  set  of  the  "  Caprichos  "  sells  for  from  ten  to  twenty  pounds, 
according  to  their  condition. 

He  also  etched  a  series  of  eighty  plates,  "  Los  desastres  de  la 
Guerra,"  a  set  illustrating  bull-fights,  and  a  series  called  "  Los  Pro- 
verbias."  Impressions  from  all  of  these  are  found  in  early  states, 
and  are  sought  after  by  collectors. 

Fortuny,  although  one  of  the  most  original  of  the  modern  ro- 
mantic school,  is  far  from  possessing  the  qualities  enumerated  as 
characteristic  of  Goya.  His  originality  is  conspicuous,  while  his 
aspirations  are  far  nobler. 

Born  in  1838,  he  succeeded,  in  his  comparatively  short  life  of 
thirty-six  years,  in  making  his  mark  in  the  world  of  art,  and  almost 
creating  a  school  of  his  own  in  Spanish  art.  He  etched  a  few  plates 
which  entitle  him  to  distinction  in  this  department. 

These  were  published  by  Goupil,  of  Paris,  a  few  years  since. 

Among  them  are : 

"  La  Victoire  et  1'Idylle." 

"  L'Arabe  Veillant  le  corps  de  son  Ami,"  and  "  L'Arab  Mort  "  ; 
two  large  plates,  not  pleasing  in  their  subjects,  but  remarkable  in 
their  execution. 

"La  Tireuse  de  Cartes." 

"  Etude  Academique." 

He  also  etched  several  portraits  of  Velasquez. 

The  set  published  by  Goupil  would  be  an  acquisition  to  the 
portfolio  of  a  collector. 

GERMANY,  during  the  present  century,  has  developed  compar- 
atively little  talent  in  the  field  of  etching.  Artists  of  whom  Unger 
may  be  quoted  as  a  type  have  published  many  plates  after  the  pic- 
tures of  the  old  masters,  but  these,  although  extremely  faithful  and 


CONTEMPORARY  ETCHING  AND  ENGRAVING.  285 

displaying  great  talent,  give  no  evidences  of  originality,  and  in  this 
respect  nothing  produced  in  that  country  can  bear  the  slightest 
comparison  to  the  genius  displayed  in  the  Western  parts  of  Europe. 

AMERICAN  ETCHERS. 

THE  art  of  etching  in  this  country  is  a  matter  of  the  future,  and 
not  of  the  past  or  present.  Whistler  is  claimed  as  an  American, 
although  he  both  learned  and  practises  his  art  abroad. 

At  the  present  time  he  resides  in  London.  His  etching-needle 
has  gained  for  him  a  wider  celebrity  than  his  brush,  but  both  as  a 
painter  and  an  etcher  he  is  more  suggestive  than  conclusive,  if  such  a 
term  may  be  applied  to  a  work  of  art. 

His  productions  show  an  impatience  of  restraint.  They  are 
original,  dashing,  and  vigorous.  To  such  a  nature  as  his  appears  to 
be,  a  freedom  of  method  and  execution  are  especially  congenial. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  a  narrator  to  criticise  with  the  view  of 
correcting  the  defects  which  may  appear  in  an  artist's  work  ;  and  of 
Whistler's  etchings,  while  their  faults  are  apparent,  there  is  so  much 
in  them  of  real  merit,  that  his  countrymen  may  claim  him  with  pride 
as  their  first  and  greatest  artist  in  this  department.  In  London  his 
abilities  are  acknowledged,  and,  as  in  the  case  of  every  man  who  is 
original  and  shows  much  individuality,  hostile  criticism  is  excited. 

The  plates  by  which  Whistler  is  best  known  are  his  views  on  the 
Thames  and  of  Thames  life.  In  addition  to  these  he  has  executed 
a  number  of  figure-pieces,  many  of  them  in  dry  point. 

An  admirer  and  collector  of  his  works,  Mr.  Ralph  Thomas,  pub- 
lished in  London,  in  1874,  a  book  detailing  the  etchings  done  by  him 
up  to  that  date.  The  catalogue  describes  eighty-six  plates,  and  was 
probably  incomplete  at  that  date.  Since  then  others  have  been 
published.  As  is  the  usual  custom  of  modern  etchers,  first  impres- 
sions were  taken  upon  special  kinds  of  paper,  in  various  states  of 
progress,  and  these  early  states  are,  many  of  them,  very  rare. 


286  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

It  remains  to  say  a  word  in  reference  to  the  art  as  it  promises  to 
be  developed  in  this  country.  Professional  artists  are  turning  their 
attention  to  it  and  practising  it  to  some  degree. 

Views  of  old  New  York,  in  its  picturesque  and  primitive  build- 
ings, have  been  etched  by  Henry  Farrer  and  are  most  creditable 
performances.  As  mentioned  in  another  part  of  this  work,  there  is 
no  country  more  prolific  in  material  attractive  to  the  etcher,  and  the 
growing  taste  in  the  community  for  prints  and  print-collecting  will, 
without  doubt,  encourage  further  attempts  in  this  direction,  and,  it 
is  to  be  hoped,  lead  to  a  development  of  the  art  which  shall  be  cred- 
itable to  us  as  a  nation. 

The  etching  inserted  opposite  this  page  is  a  very  creditable  performance  by  an 
amateur  of  New  York,  Mr.  J.  F.  Sabin. 


CATALOGUE    OF 

DURER'S    ENGRAVINGS   ON   COPPER 
AND   ETCHINGS. 


I. 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  ENGRAVINGS  ON  COPPER 
AND  ETCHINGS. 


WITH  ENUMERA  TION  OF  COPIES. 


SUBJECTS  FROM  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

Adam  and  Eve. — Dated  1504,  one  of  Durer's  earliest  dated  engrav 

ings  on  copper,  and  one  of  his  most  perfect 

Copies. — (i.)  By  John  Wierix,  whose  name  appears  on  the  table 

hanging  from  the  tree,  and  the  date  1568  on  the  corner. 
(2.)  By  John  van  Goosen,  "Johannes  van  -—"  being  inscribec 

on  the  tablet  after  Durer's  name. 
(3.)  Without  the  tablet,  a  poor  engraving  with  a  death's  head  on 

the  ground. 
(4.)  A  small  copy. 

(5.)  Copy  by  Marc'  Antonio,  reversed. 
(6.)  Another  Italian  copy,  also  reversed,  supposed  by  Augustino 

Veneziano. 
(7.)  Another  Italian  copy,  by  Antonio  of  Brescia. 

SUBJECTS  FROM  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT. 

The  Birth  of  Christ. — The  Virgin,  with  her  hands  in  the  attitude  ol 
adoration,  looks  down   on   the   Holy  Child   lying   before   her. 

Dated  1504 

Copies. — (i.)  Very  beautiful  imitation  by  Wierix. 
(2.)  By  Adrian  Huber,  1514,  inscribed. 
(3.)  Without  Durer's  tablet,  as  in  the  original. 
(4.)  With  the  tablet. 

THE  PASSION,  IN  SIXTEEN  DESIGNS. 

Ecce  Homo. — The  Virgin  and  S.  John  Looking  sadly'at  the  Suffer- 
ing Christ.     Dated   1509 

Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.     1508 

The  Kiss  of  Judas.     1508 

Christ  before  Caiaphas.     1512 

Christ  before  Pilate.     1512 

The  Scourging.      1512 

The  Crowning  with  Thorns.     1512 

Christ  Presented  to  the  People  (Ecce  Homo).     1512 

Pilate  Washing  his  Hands.     1512 

Bearing  the  Cross.     1512 

Our  Lord  on  the  Cross.     1511 

Christ  Freeing  Souls  from  Hades.     1512 


3 
4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 
10 
ii 

12 
13 
14 


3 
4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 
10 
ii 

12 
13 
14 


20X> 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


The  Descent  from  the  Cross.     1507 15 

The  Entombment.     1512 16 

The  Resurrection.     1512 17 

SS.  Peter  and  John  Healing  the  Cripple.     1513 18 

Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  1515. — This  is  one  of  Durer's  etch- 
ings, or,  as  they  have  been  called,  his  "  iron-plates." 19 

Christ  Dying  on  the  Cross,  1508. — The  holy  women  at   the  foot  of 
the  Cross  and  S.  John  on   the   right,  with   stretched-out  hands. 

A  small  plate 20 

The  Little  Crucifix. — A  circular  miniature,  little  more  than  an  inch 

and  a  half  diameter 21 

Christ   with   his    Hands   Bound,  1512. — An    Etching,  or   dry-point 

("  iron-plate") 22 

Christ  Showing  his  Five  Wounds 23 

Christ  Seated,  1515. — The  crown  of  thorns  is  on  the  head.     Etch- 
ing, or  rather  drypoint.     A  pewter  plate  (?) 24 

S.  Veronica,  1510. — A  small  plate  three  inches  high 25 

An  Angel  Flying  with  the  Cloth  exhibiting  the  Veronica,  1516. — 

An  etching  ("iron-plate") 26 

Two  Flying  Angels  displaying  the  Holy  Cloth  with  the  Image  of 

our  Lord's  face.     1513 27 

The  Prodigal  Son 28 

The  Virgin  and  Anna 29 

Mary  on  the  Half  Moon,  without   Crown. — The  Holy  Child  is  sit- 
ting on  her  right  arm.     Her  hair  flows  behind  her 30 

Mary  on  the  Half  Moon,  without   Crown,  but  with  date,  1514. — She 
looks  to  the  right.     This  print  is  called  by  Bartsch  the  "Virgin 

with  the  Short  Hair." 31 

Mary  on  the  Half  Moon,  with  the  Crown  of  Stars,  1508 32 

Mary  on  the  Half  Moon,   with  the  Crown  of  Stars  and  Sceptre, 

1516 33 

Mary  Crowned  by  an  Angel,  1520. — She  sits  on  a  cushion  placed  on 

a  bank 34 

Marj- Crowned  by  two  Angels,  1518. — The  Virgin  sits  looking  to  the 

right,  with  a  crown  of  roses 35 

The  Nursing  Mary,  1503. — The  Holy  Child  is  held  by  the  right 
hand  to  the  left  breast.     The  tablet,  with  the  year  1503,  hangs 

behind  her  on  a  twig 36 

The  Nursing  Mary,  1519. — In  this  print  also  the  child  is  held  to  the 

left  breast.     The  Virgin  sits  on  a  bank 37 

Mary  with  the  Swaddled  Child,  1520. — She  sits  on  a  cushion  placed 

on  a  great  stone 38 

Mary  Sitting  under  a  Tree,  1513. — She  sits  on  a  bank  at  the  foot  of 

a  tree 39 

Mary  by  the  Wall,  1514. — The  Virgin  holds  the  child  in   both  her 

arms,  he  having  an  apple  in  his  right  hand 40 

Mary  with  the  Pear,  1511. — She  sits  at  the  foot  of  a  great   tree,  in 

her  right  hand  a  pear 41 

Mary  with  the  Monkey 42 

The  Holy  Family  with  the  Butterfly. — A  larger  plate  than  any  other 

of  the  Marienbilds 43 

The  Holy  Family. — One  of  the  etchings,  or  "iron-plates;"  or  pos- 
sibly on  a  softer  metal,  done  principally  with  drypoint 44 


HELLER. 

NO. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


291 


SAINTS. 

S.  Philip.  —  He  holds  in  his  left  hand  the  long  staff  with  the  cross...  . 
S.  Bartholomew,  1523.  —  The  knife  is  in  his  left  hand,  a  book  in  his 
right  ami   

HELLER. 

NO. 

BARTSCH. 
NO. 

45 
46 

47 
48 
49 

50 

5i 
52 

53 

54 

55 

56 

57 

58 
59 

60 
61 

62 

63 
64 

65 
66 

67 
68 
69 

70 
71 
72 

73 

46 

47 

48 

49 
50 

58 

51 

52 

63 

57 
53 

54 
60 

59 
61 

62 
56 

55 

65 
63 

71 
72 
73 

69 
79 

78 
77 
74 

76 

S.  Thomas,  1514.  —  In  his  right  hand   is  the  instrument  of  his  mar- 

S   Simon    1523.  —  In  his  right  hand  is  the  saw  

S    Paul    1514.  —  His  left  arm  supports  the  open  book  

S.  Anthony,  1519.  —  He  sits  in  the  foreground,  and  reads  in  a  book 
held  by  both  hands     

S.  Christopher,  1521.  —  In  this  design  the  saint  turns  his  head  as  il 
to  remonstrate  with  the  miraculous  burden  which  weighs  him 

S.  Christopher,  same  date.  —  In  this  the  Holy  Child  lays  his  right 
arm  on  the  saint's  head,  the  fingers  being  in  benediction  

S.  John  Chrysostom.  —  The  saint  creeping  on  hands  and  knees  to- 
wards the  left,  and  in  the   middle  of  the   composition,  at  the 
mouth  of  a  grotto,  a  woman  nurses  a  child  at  her  breast  

S.  Hubert,  properly  S.  Eustachius,  no  date.  —  The  most  elaborate  ol 
all  Durer's  plates.     The  size  of  this  plate  is  only  13!  by  10^, 
but  the  elaboration  and  the  detail   make  it  equal   to  a  larger 
field  

S.  George  on  Foot.  —  His  right  hand  holds  a  banner  with  the  cross. 
S.  George  on  Horseback,  1508.  —  The  dead  dragon  lies  along  by  the 
horse's  feet  

S.  Jerome   in  his  Study,  1514.  —  On   the  foreground  lies  the  lion  ; 
beside  him  a  curious  dog.  

S.  Jerome.  —  An  etching  or  "iron-plate."     The  saint  sits  in  a  wild 
place  in  a  storm  of  wind  and  rain  

S.  Jerome  Praying.  —  One  of  the  larger  plates  upright  

The  little  Praying  Jerome.  —  He  kneels  to  a  crucifix  which  is  at- 
tached to  a  tree  

S.  Sebastian  bound  to  a  Pillar  

S.  Sebastian  bound  to  a  Tree  

MYTHOLOGY  AND  OTHER  SUBJECTS. 
Judgment  of  Paris  

Apollo  and  Diana.  —  Apollo  bends  his  bow,  looking  to  the  right.  .  . 
The    Rape   of  Anymone.  —  Called  by  Durer  in  his  "Journal"  a 
"  Meerwunder."     The  Triton  carries  her  through  the  water..  .  . 
Pluto  carrying  away  Proserpine.  —  An  etching,  or  "  iron-plate.".  .  . 
Jealousy.  —  A  large  plate  

The  Satyr's  Family,  1505.  —  The  Satyr  advances  from  the  left,  play- 
ing on  a  pipe  or  trumpet  

The  Vengeance  of  Justice.  —  It  represents  a  man  riding  on  a  lion, 
in  his  right  hand  a  sword   in  his  left  «cales    

The  Little  Fortune.  —  A  naked  woman  of  common  type,  the  back 

Temperance  ;  usually  called  "  The  Great  Fortune."  

Melancholy,  1514  

The  Dream.  —  A  young  man  sleeps  on  a  bench  by  the  side  of  a  great 
stove,  while  a  demon  blows  into  his  ear  with  a  pair  of  bellows. 

292 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


The   Four  Naked  Women,   1497. — They  stand  in  a  chamber,  the 

one  in  the  middle  having  her  back  to  the  spectator 74 

The  Witch. — A  wild  woman   rides  a  'flying  or  leaping  animal,  her 

face  being  towards  the  left 75 

The  Three  Genii,  or  Cupids 7° 

The   Bath. — An  etching,  or  "iron-plate."     Five  figures,  or  rather 

studies  of  figures,  naked  for  the  most  part 77 

Gentleman  and  Lady  Walking. — They  go  towards  the  left ?8 

The  Love  Offer. — A  middle-aged  man,  with  a  short  beard,  sits  be- 
side a  young  woman 79 

The  Wild  Man  Seizing  a  Woman 80 

The  Bagpiper,  1514. — Small 81 

The  Dancing  Peasants 82 

The  Peasant  and  his  Wife. — They  stand  looking  towards  the  left. .  83 
The  Peasant  going  to  Market.     He  goes  to  the  left,  stretching  out 

his  right  hand 84 

The  Three  Peasants. — They  stand  together  in  talk 85 

The  Cook  and  the  Housekeeper 86 

The  Turk  and  his  Wife. — He  is  on  the  left,  the  woman  on  the  right 

of  the  print 87 

The  Standard-bearer. — A  soldier  with  bare  head  holding  a  banner.  88 

The  Six  Soldiers 89 

The  Little  Courier. — He  gallops  to  the  left,  his  right  hand  flourish- 
ing a  whip 9° 

The  Lady  on  the  Horse 91 

The  smaller  War-horse,  1505. — The  white  heavy  charger  is  turned 

to  the  right \  92 

The   larger  War-horse,    1505. — A  foot-soldier,  holding  a   halbert, 

and  with  a  helmet  on  his  head,  steps  towards  the  left 93 

The  Knight,  with  Death  and  the  Devil,  1513 94 

The  Cannon,  1518. — A  landscape,   with  a  great  cannon  and  two 

figures.     This  is  the  best  of  the  so-called  "  iron-plates." 95 

The  Monster  Pig 96 

The  Shield  with  the  Lion  and  Cock 97 

The  Shield  of  the  Death's  Head,  1503  98 

PORTRAITS. 

The  smaller  Cardinal  Archbishop  Albert  of  Magdeburg  and  Maintz, 

1519 99 

The  larger  Portrait  of  the  same Joo 

Frederick  the  Wise,  Elector  of  Saxony,  1524 zoi 

Erasmus,  1526 j  JO2 

Philip  Melanchthon,  1526 103 

Bilibald  Pirkheimer,  1524 104 


HELLER. 
NO. 


II. 


CATALOGUE  OF  DURER'S  WOOD  ENGRAVINGS. 


OLD  TESTAMENT  SUBJECTS. 


Cain  Killing  Abel 

Samson  Killing  the  Lion 

2  2 

NEW  TESTAMENT  SUBJECTS. 

Adoration  of  the  Magi,  1511 

The  Greater  Passion:   A  Series  of  Twelve.     Size,  15  inches  by  lof. 

The  Title 

The  Last  Supper,  1510 

The  Agony  in  the  Garden j? 

The  Seizing  of  Christ,  1510 • 

The  Flagellation £ 

The  Mocking 

Bearing  the  Cross XQ 

The  Crucifixion IX 

Christ  taking  the  First  Redeemed  from  Hades 12 

The  Bewailing  of  the  Maries 13 

The  Entombment j. 

The  Resurrection j  , 

The  Little  Passion  :  A  Series  of  37,  title  included.     Size,  5  inches 

byaf 

The  Title l6            l6 

Adam  and  Eve  taking  the  Apple j 

The  Expulsion  from  Paradise j 

The  Annunciation  by  Gabriel j 

The  Nativity  :  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds 2O           2O 

The  Entry  into  Jerusalem 2I            21 

The  Cleansing  of  the  Temple 22           22 

Christ  taking  leave  of  his  Mother  before  his  Passion 2o           23 

The  Last  Supper 2. 

The  Washing  of  the  Feet 2g 

The  Agony  in  the  Garden 26 

The  Kiss  of  Judas 27           27 

Christ  brought  before  Annas 28           28 

The  High-priest  Caiaphas  rends  his  Clothes 29           29 

The  Mocking  in  the  House  of  Caiaphas 30           30 

Our  Lord  brought  before  Pilate 31            31 

Before  Herod o2 

The  Flagellation 33           33 

The  Crowning  with  Thorns 34           34 

Presented  to  the  People 35           35 

Pilate  Washing  his  Hands 36           36 

Bearing  the  Cross 37           37 

The  Veronica 38           38 

Nailing  Christ  on  the  Cross,  prone  on  the  Ground 39           39 

The  Crucifixion 40           40 


HELLER. 
NO. 


BARTSCH. 
NO. 


294 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


HELLER. 
NO. 


The  Harrowing  of  Hell 4! 

The  Descent  from  the  Cross 42 

The  Weeping  of  the  Maries 43 

The  Entombment 44 

The  Resurrection 45 

Christ  in  Glory  appearing  to  his  Mother 46 

Appearing  to  the  Magdalene 47 

At  Emmaus .  48 

The  Unbelief  of  S.  Thomas 40 

The  Ascension 50 

The  Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost 5  r 

Christ  Seated  for  Judgment 52 

The  Last  Supper,  1523. — This  is  a  long-shaped  design 53 

The  Mount  of  Olives . .  54 

Pilate  showing  Christ  to  the  People.     (Not  in  Bartsch.) 55 

The  Head  of  Christ 56 

The  Great  Head  of  Christ. — Larger  than  life 57 

Christ  on  the  Cross,  1510 58 

Christ  on  the  Cross,  1516 gg 

Calvary 60 

The  Crucifixion 61 

Christ  on  the  Cross  with  Three  Angels 62 

The  Trinity,  1511 63 

The  Apocalypse   of  S.  John  :  A   Series  of   16  Designs,  including 

Title,  1498,  viz.  : 64 

The  attempted  Martyrdom  of  S.  John,  in  a  Cauldron  of  Burning 

Oil,  under  Domitian 65 

The  Seven  Golden  Candlesticks  and  the  Seven  Stars 66 

The  Throne  of  God,  with  the  Beasts  and  the  Twenty-four  Elders.  67 

The  Four  Horses  with  their  Riders 68 

The  Martyrs  clothed  in  White,  and  the  Stars  Falling 69 

The   Four  Angels  Holding  the  Winds,  and   the  Multitude  who 

were  Sealed 70 

The  Seven  Angel  Trumpeters 71 

The  Four  Angels  Slaying  the  Third  Part  of  Man 72 

John  is  made  to  eat  the  Book 73 

The  Woman  clothed  with  the  Sun,  and  the  Seven-headed  Dragon.  74 

The  Archangel  Michael  fights  with  the  Dragon 75 

The  Worship  of  the  Seven-headed  Dragon  and  of  the  Horned  Lion.  76 

The  Lamb  in  Zion 77 

The  Woman  of  Babylon  Sitting  on  the  Beast 78 

The  Angel  Imprisoning  the  Dragon 79 

Celebrations  of  the  Virgin.     The  Life  of  the  Virgin  :  20  Designs, 
1511,  viz. : 

Title 80 

Joachim's  Offering  Rejected 81 

The  Angel  of  the  Lord  appears  to  Joachim   with   a  promise   he 

shall  have  a  child 82 

Joachim  returns  Home,  and  Anna  meets  him  at  the  Golden  Gate  83 

The  Birth  of  Mary 84 

The  Virgin  ascending  the  Steps  of  the  Temple 85 

The  Marriage  of  Joseph  and  Mary 86 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


295 


The  Annunciation 87  83 

The  Visitation  of  Elizabeth 88  84 

The  Nativity  :  with  the  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds 89  85 

The  Circumcision go  86 

The  Adoration  of  the  Three  Kings 9I  87 

The  Purification  of  Mary 92  88 

The  Flight  into  Egypt 93  89 

The  Repose  in  Egypt 94  90 

Christ  Teaching  in  the  Temple 95  gl 

Christ  Bidding  his  Mother  Farewell 96  g2 

The  Death  of  the  Virgin,  1510 97  93 

The  Assumption  of  the  Virgin 98  94 

A  Celebration  of  the  Virgin-mother 99  95 

The  Holy  Family,  1511. — An  upright  composition 100  96 

The  Holy  Family,  "with  the  Citbern,"  1511 101  97 

The  Holy  Family,  1526. 102  98 

The  Holy  Family  in  a  Chamber 103  100 

Mary  with  the  Swaddled  Child 104 

Mary  Crowned  by  two  Angels,  1518 105  101 

The  Holy  Family  with  the  Three  Rabbits 106  102 

SAINTS. 

S.  Arnolf,  Bishop 107 

S.  Christopher,  1511 108  103 

S.  Christopher  with  the  Birds 109  104 

S.  Christopher,  1525 no  105 

S.  Colman,  1513 m  106 

S.  Francis  receiving  the  Stigmata 112  1 10 

S.  George 113  m 

The  Mass  of  S.  Gregory,  1511 114  123 

S.  Jerome  in  a  Chamber,  1511 115  114 

S.  Jerome  in  the  Grotto,  1512 116  113 

The  Little  S.  Jerome 117  115 

The  Beheading  of  S.  John  the  Baptist 118  125 

The  Head  of  the  Baptist  brought  to  Herod,  1511 119  126 

S.  Sebald  ;  with  his  foot  on  a  pillar,  in  his  left  the  model  of  S.  Se- 

bald's  kirk  in  Nlirnberg 120  Ap.  22 

The   Penitent 121  119 

The  Prophet  Elias  and  the  Raven 122  107 

SS.  John  and  Jerome 123  112 

SS.  Nicholas,  Udalricus,  and  Erasmus 124  118 

SS.  Stephen,  Gregory,  and  Lawrence 125  108 

The  Eight  Austrian  Saints 126^  116 

The  Martyrdom  of  the  10,000  in  Nicomedia,  Bithynia 127"  117 

The  Beheading  of  S.  Catharine 128  120 

S.  Mary  Magdalene 129  121 

Kaiser  Max  attending  Mass 130  App.  31 

MYTHOLOGICAL  AND    NATURAL    SUBJECTS. 

Judgment  of  Paris. — Very  small 131  134 

"  Hercules" 132  127 

The  Rider 133  131 


HELLER. 
NO. 


BARTSCH. 
NO. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


The  Bath  

HELLER. 
NO. 

114 

BARTSCH. 
NO. 

128 

The  Embrace  

lie 

I-JC 

1  16 

jaa 

Death  and  the  Soldier,  1510  

117 

n8 

117 

The  Rhinoceros,  1515  

I  -30 

116 

The  Triumphal  Chariot  of  Kaiser  Maximilian  I.  —  This  is  a  series  of 
large  blocks,  eight  in  number,  engraved  by  Jerome  Rosch  
The  Triumphal  Arch  of  the  Kaiser  Max.  —  This  is  a  combination  of 
ninety-two  blocks,  making  an  engraved  surface  of  n  feet  3 

I4O 

I4.I 

139 

n8 

The  Great  Column  with  the  Satyr,  1517  

14.2 

I2O 

A  Man  Sketching,  another  sitting  opposite,  by  means  of  a  square 

141 

146 

144 

147 

A  Man  sketching  an  Urn  

I4C 

148 

A  Man  sketching  a  Woman  

146 

I4Q 

Hemispherium  Australe  

147 

ISO 

Imagines  Coeli   Septentrional  is   

148 

151 

Imagines  Cceli  Meridionalis  

1  40 

151 

Six  round  ornamental  Designs,  on  Black  Ground  ;  supposed  pat- 
terns for  embroidering     

I  ^O-I^ 

140-145 

A  Decoration,  with  the  figures  of  God  the  Father  holding  the  cha- 
lice in  one  hand  and  tables  of  the  law  in  the  other,  and  Christ 
bearing  his  Cross  

156 

App.  28 

A  Title-Border  

JC7 

A  pp.  30 

Another  Title-Border,  for  a  book  published  1526  

I«8 

The  Pirkheimer  Title-Border  

ICQ 

HERALDIC  PIECES. 

160 

154 

161 

1  60 

The  Shield  of  Arms  of  the   Nurnberg  families  Ebner  and   Furer, 
i<;i6.  .  . 

162 

App.  45 

The  Shield  of  Arms  of  the  Kressen  Family           

163 

161 

The  Arms  of  the  Town  of  Niirnberg  1521         

164 

The  Shields  of  Albert  von  Scheuerl  and  of  Ann  Ziuglin  

165 

164 

Arms  of  Johann  Stabius                    

1  66 

165 

The  Shield  of  Stabius  with  a  Border     

167 

166 

The  Arms  of  Lawrence  Staiber     

1  68 

167,  168 

The  Shield  with  Three  Lions'  Heads  

1  60 

169 

170 

170 

PORTRAITS. 
The  Emperor  Maximilian,  1519.  —  A  head  nearly  the  size  of  life.  .  .  . 

171 
172 

153 
*54 

Ulrich  Varnbuler,  1522.  —  A  profile  turned  to  the  right  

173 

155 

Albert  Durer's  Portrait.  —  Inscribed  "  Albrecht  Durerscontrefeyt  in 
seinem  alter  Des  LVI  Tares.".  . 

174 

156 

THE    WHOLE    ETCHED    WORK    OF 
REMBRANDT. 


TABLE 

OF 

THE   WHOLE   ETCHED   WORK   OF   REMBRANDT 

ARRANGED  IN  CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER. 


*#*  The  Studies,  Sketches,  and  Portraits  are  placed  first ;  then  the  Scriptural  and 
Religious  Compositions  ;  General  and  Fancy  Compositions  ;  and  lastly  the 
Landscapes. 

S.  followed  by  a  number  in  the  first  column  to  the  right  refers  to  Pierre  Yvers 
Supplement. 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Da-ilby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

o 

c 
Jjj 

S 

Wilson. 

1628 

Two  small  figures,  etc.,  unfinished  

340 
S.  130 
S.  141 
138 
321 

320 
S.  133 

363 
327 
365 
133 
343 

342 
30 

373 
335 
375 
139 
354 

352 
336 

123 

261 

252 

106 
193 

192 

230 
150 
149 

129 
»47 
303 
MS 
»35 

77 

"3 

215 

210 

367 
331 
369 
139 
348 

347 

30 

162 

179 
368 
i  So 
170 
in 
147 

318 

12 

6 

A  little  bust,  a  man  with  a  ruff  and  feathers  

Head  of  a  woman  ;  on  the  right  side  of  the  plate  

A  man  on  horseback,  etc.  (R.H)  ... 

Bust  of  an  old  woman,  lightly  etched  (Rn  1628)  

An  old  woman's  head,  full  face,  seen  only  to  the  chin 
(Rn  1623)  

1629 

Rembrandt,  a  bust  ;  supposed  to  be  engraved  on  pewter 
(RH  1629)  

A  beggar  by  the  road  side  ;  an  old  woman  in  the  distance 
A  dealer  in  old  clothes  

Two  beggars,  a  man  and  a  woman  coming  from  behind  a 
bank  (Rn)  

158 
174 
341 
175 
167 

«." 

S.  53 

296 
16 

7 

162 
179 
364 
180 
170 
109 
146 

313 
12 

6 

165 

182 
374 
183 
<7: 
106 
149 

3i8 
12 
6 

Two  beggars,  a  half  length,  and  a  head  

Three  profiles  of  old  men  

Two  beggars,  a  man  and  a  woman,  side  by  side  

A  beggar  warming  his  hands  over  a  chafing-dish  

St.  Jerome;  an  outline  

St.  Jerome,  seated  ;  with  a  large  book  

1630 
A  Philosopher  with  an  Hour-glass  (Rn  1630)  

Rembrandt  with  a  conical  cap  ;  in  an  oval  

Rembrandt,  in  a  fur  cap  and  dark  dress.  . 

300 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

d 

1 

1  Wikon. 

Bust,  the  features  resembling  Rembrandt,  with  a  jewel  in 

Rembrandt  •  a  small  head,  stooping  

6 

S.  131 

13 

18 

M 
298 
294 

5 
3i 
9 
13 
10 

33 
29 

27 
24 

307 

288 

3i3 

305 
148 

159 

171 
176 

3M 
161 

300 
289 

291 
290 

70 
55 
52 
150 

58 
187 

4 
324 
14 

16 

5 
336 
9 
13 
10 
320 
310 

27 
24 

3" 

291 

325 

309 
151 
162 

i?4 
179 

321 
164 

3°4 
292 

294 
293 

66 

5* 
48 

153 
54 
190 

4 
332 
14 
16 

1^2 

2O9 
221 
213 
219 
214 
217 
216 

205 
226 

260 
285 

282 

283 
"5 
125 

136 

142 

266 
128 

265 
272 

274 
273 

37 
24 

21 
14 

27 
155 

208 
227 
225 

223 

207 

5 
31 
9 
13 
10 

33 

29 

27 
24 

312 
293 

323 

310 

149 
159 

171 

176 

319 
161 

304 
294 

295 
308 

70 
56 
53 
47 

59 
187 

4 
34 
14 

16 
120 

Rembrandt  •  the  plate  an  irregular  octagon  (RH)  

Rembrandt   with  very  small  black  eyes       

Rembrandt,  with  an  open  mouth  (Rn  1630)  

Rembrandt  with  an  air  of  grimace  (Rn  1630)  

Rembrandt   with  haggard  eyes  (RH  1630)  

Rembrandt   a  full  face  laughing  (Rn  1630)  

Rembrandt,  with  curly  hair,  rising  into  a  tuft  over  his 
left  eye  (RH  1630)  

Rembrandt   with  fur  cap  and  light  dress  (Rn  1630)  

S.  it 

288 
269 

304 

286 
144 

155 

1  68 
172 

299 

157 

280 
270 

270 

284 

65 
5i 
47 
146 

163! 
S.a6f 

182 

5 
S.  127 

19 
S.g\ 

21  f 

Portrait  (unknown)  of  a  man  with  a  broad-brimmed  hat 
and  a  ruff  'RH  1630)  

An  old  man  •  a  bust  shaded  only  on  the  right  . 

An  old  man  with  a  large  beard  ;  the  shoulders  rise  above 
the  ears  (RH  1630)  

An  old  man  with  a  large  beard  ;  the  shoulders  lower  than 
the  ears  (RH  1630)  

An  old  man  with  a  bushy  beard  ;  a  full  length  (Rn)  

A  beggar  standing   and  leaning  upon  a  stick  

A  beggar  sitting  on  a  hillock  ;  with  his  mouth  open  (Rn 
1610).  . 

A  beggar  with  a  wooden  leg  

An  old  man  sitting  on  a  chair,  and  wearing  a  high  cap 
(Philon  the  Jew)  (Rit  1630)  

Two  beggars,  a  man  and  a  woman  conversing  (RH  1630).. 
Head  and  bust,  full  face  ;   looking  from  behind   a  wall 
(RH  1630)  

Profile  of  a  bald  man  with  a  jewelled  chain  (Rn  1630).  .  . 
Head   resembling  the  last,   smaller  and   more  stooping 
(RH  1630)  

Profile  of  a  man,  bald  headed,  and  coarsely  etched  

Jesus  Christ  disputing  with  the  Doctors  ;  a  small  upright 
print  (RH  1630)  

The  Presentation  ;  with  the  angel  (Rn  1630)  

The  Circumcision  ;  a  small  upright  print  

Tobit  ;  seen  from  behind  

A  flight  into  Egypt  ;  a  sketch  

A  man  standing  towards  the  right  (RH  1630)  

i63i 
Rembrandt,  with  a  broad  nose  

Rembrandt,  with  bushy  hair,  and  strongly  shaded  (RH).  .  . 
Rembrandt,  with  a  cap  and  robe  of  fur  (RH  1631)  

Rembrandt,  with  a  round  fur  cap,  full  face  (Rn  1631)  

A  young  man,  full  face  ;  with  a  low  misshapen  cap  (Rn 
1631').  . 

THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


301 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 


06 
> 


Rembrandt,  with  a  soft  round  cap  ;  known  as  'L'homme 

a  trois  crocs' 

Rembrandt,  with  a  fur  mantle  or  cape  (RH  1631) 

Rembrandt,  with  bushy  hair  (injured  with  the  acid)  (RH  j 


1631. 


I 
Rembrandt,   with  bushy  hair  (the  head   nearly  fills  the 

plate) 

Rembrandt,  with  bushy  hair,  and  small  white  collar  (RH). 
Portrait  of  Rembrandt,  with  broad  hat  and  embroidered 

mantle  (Rn  1631) , 

Rembrandt's  mother  in  a  black  dress  ;  a  small  upright 

(RH  1631) 

Rembrandt's  mother  seated,  looking  to  the  right  (Rn.  f.). . 
Rembrandt's  mother,  her  hand  resting  upon  her  breast 

(RH  1631) 

Bust  of  a  bald  man,  leaning  forward   to  the  right,  with 

his  mouth  open  (RH  1631) 

Bust  of  a  bald-headed  man  with  a  large  nose  (Rn  1631). . 
Bust  of  an  elderly  man  with  a  cap  and  robe  of  fur  (RH 

1631) 

An  old  man  wearing  a  calotte  edged  with  fur  (Rn  1631). . 
Bust  of  a  man  turned  to  the  left,  with  an  action  of  grim- 
ace   

Head  and  bust,  upright,  with  bushy  beard  (Rn  1631) 

Bust  of  an  old  man  with  a  long  beard  (RH  1631) 

An  old  man  with  a  large  beard  ;  a  square  plate  (Rn  1631) 

Man  with  a  large  beard,  and  low  fur  cap 

An  old  beggar  seated,  with  a  dog  by  his  side  (Rn  1631). . 
An  old  woman  in  a  cottage;  'the  Onion  Woman'  (Rn 

1631) 

An  old  woman  wearing  a  dark  head-dress  with  lappets 

(RH  1631) 

A  woman  in  a  veil  ;  the  lower  part  of  the  plate  an  irreg- 
ular oval 

Head  and  bust,  the  head  nearly  filling  the  upper  right  of 

the  plate  (Rn  1631) 

A  beggar  in  a  ragged  coat  ;  in  the  manner  of  Callot  (Rn 

1631) 

Small  full-length  figure  of  a  beggar  in  a  large  cloak  (Ru 

1631) 

Lazarus  Klap,  or  the  Dumb  Beggar  (Rit  1631) 

Two  Venetian  figures 

A  beggar  with  a  crippled  hand  ;  in  the  manner  of  Callot 

A  beggar  woman,  with  a  leathern  bottle 

A  beggar  sitting  in  an  elbow  chair 

A  man  with  a  short  beard,  and  embroidered  cloak  (Ru 

1631 

The  Blind  Fiddler  (Rn  1631) 

The  Little  Polander  (Rit  1631) 

A  beggar  standing  to  the  left  ;  a  small  upright  print  (Rn) 


297 

20 

S.  12  j 

S.I3! 


313 

317 

275 
302 

283 
291 

285 
274 
240 
292 
289 
169 


322 
325 
295 
160 

M3 
165 
148 
158 
161 
S.  62 


243 

137 
140 
162 


339 

333 

338 

294 
3U 

303 
310 

304 
293 
257 
3H 
308 
172 


345 
348 
312 
164 

M7 

i6S 


162 
165 
157 

260 
«37 
'4' 
1  66 


319 
15 


349 

343 

348 

298 
324 

307 
3H 

308 
297 
260 

315 
312 

175 
134 
355 
358 
317 
167 

150 
171 
154 
1 66 
1 68 
160 

263 
138 
142 
169 


224 

222 
220 

212 
2O4 

211 

195 
196 

198 

275 
276 

264 
279 

263 

277 
28l 
2S4 
278 
I39 


245 
243 
298 


138 
119 
130 
132 
124 

267 

91 
108 

133 


28 
15 
25 

8 

I 


344 
339 

343 

298 
322 

307 
315 

309 
297 
261 
316 

313 
172 


349 
353 
317 
164 

148 

168 
151 

I63 

165 

157 

265 
138 
142 
166 


302 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

o 

J 

pa 

£ 

Small  head,  with  a  high  misshapen  cap  

278 
3361 
337) 
332 
S.  129 
S.  129 
141 
279 
277 
134 
190 

183 
193 
196 

242 
M5 
313 
140  . 

298 
36O 

356 
326 

325 
142 
299 
296 
135 
195 

188 
198 
20  1 

259 
149 

334 
140 

302 
370 
366 
334 
333 
143 
303 
300 
135 
198 
191 

201 
204 

262 
152 

344 
141 

296 
238 

308 
290 
292 
109 

293 
291 
103 
162 
156 
165 
168 

270 
105 
197 
118 

302 

364 

360 
330 
329 
i43 
303 
300 
136 
195 
188 
198 

2OI 

264 
150 
340 
141 

Sketches,  with  a  so-called  'Head  of  Rembrandt'  (Rn  j 
1631)  ( 

A  sheet  of  sketches  ;  afterwards  divided  into  five  (RH)..  . 
Bust  of  an  old  man,  in  profile,  to  the  right..  .  1                  f 
Small  bust  of  an  old  man  with  an  aquiline  nose      Parts  of 
An  old  man,  seen  from  behind  .  .                       .  >    J  '  a  /•  < 

*   T-      i  •   L     i                                                                            1    sheet  of    | 
A  1  urkish  slave  |  sketches    1 

Bust  of  a  man  crying  out,  turned  to  the  left.  .  J 
A  peasant  with  his  hands  behind  him  (RH  1631)  

A  woman  sitting  upon  a  hillock  

A  woman  beneath  a  tree  (RH  1631)  

Diana  bathing  (Rn  f.)  

Dianae  and  Jupiter  (Rn)  

1682 

An  old  man  with  a  large  white  beard,  and  fur  cap  (RH  f.) 
The  Persian  (Rn  1632)  

Rembrandt's  mother  in  a  widow's  dress  (Rembrandt  f.).  .  . 
A  Polander  •  turned  to  the  left   a  full  length     

Head  of  an  old  man  with  dark  eyes  

Head  of  a  bald  old  man  •   inclined  to  the  left   

273 
S.  132 
306 
305 

61 

IOI 

118 
117 

22 
4 

319 
139 

52 

77 

84 
74 

35 

121 

292 

328 
320 

319 
66 

104 
124 
123 

17 

3 

341 
139 

56 
94 

83 

77 

42 
in 

296 
337 
327 
326 
62 

IOI 
122 
121 

17 
3 

351 
140 

52 
90 

81 
81 
73 

38 
in 

300 
280 
299 
301 
33 

72 
96 

95 

229 
207 

191 
107 

25 
41 
56 
56 

48 

:o 

281 

296 
332 
325 
324 

66 

106 
126 
125 

17 

3 

346 
140 

57 
95 
83 
84 
77 

42 
n*, 

Old  man  with  a  gray  beard  ;  his  hair  short  and  wavy.  .    .  . 
Grotesque  head  of  a  man  crying  out  

Grotesque  head  in  a  high  fur  cap  

A  Holy  Family.     The  Virgin  with  a  basket  of  linen  (RH) 
St.  Jerome   kneeling;    an  arched   print   (Rembrandt  ft. 
16^2)  . 

The  Rat  Killer  (RH  1632)  

i633 

Rembrandt,  with  a  scarf  round  his  neck  (Rembrandt  f. 

l6^T).  . 

Rembrandt,  with  the  bird  of  prey  

An  old  woman,  etched  no  lower  than  the  chin  (Rembrandt 
f.  i6n)  .  . 

A  Polander  ;  walking  towards  the  right  

The  Flight  into  Egypt  ;  a  small  upright  (Rembrandt  in- 
ventor et  fecit  1633)  

The  Good  Samaritan  (Rembrandt  inventor  et  fecit  1633).  . 
The  Descent  from  the  Cross  (Rembrandt  ft.  1633)  
The  Descent  from  the  Cross  (Rembrandt  cum  pryvP  1633) 
The  Resurrection  of  Lazarus  ;  a  large  print  (Rn  v.  Ryn  f.) 
Jacob  lamenting  the  supposed  death  of  Joseph  (Rem- 
brandt van  Ryn  fet  )       

Adverse  Fortune  (Rembrandt  f.  i6n).  . 

THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


303 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

u 

a 
n 

5 

Wilson. 

1684 

A  skater  

151 
142 

23 

3 

316 

3" 
3M 
246 

28 
i?i 
171 
IOO 

43 
36 

82 

91 

72 
67 
"5 

259 
333 
3^3 
127 
276 
281 

282 
1  66 

266 

266 

266 
267 
268 
qS 

153 
143 

18 

2 

337 
330 
335 
263 

23 
174 
175 
103 

48 
43 

85 

92 

75 
72 

121 
276 

357 
340 
130 

295 
301 

302 
169 

283 
284 

285 
286 
287 

IOO 

156 
144 

18 

2 

347 
340 
345 
266 

23 
177 

178 

IOO 

44 
39 
80 

88 

71 
68 
119 

279 
307 
350 
129 
299 
305 

306 
172 

286 

287 

288 
289 
290 
97 

121 

no 

231 
2O6 

2OI 
199 
242 

1  86 
232 
140 
141 
71 

17 
n 

55 
162 

46 
42 
90 

190 
250 
244 
92 
302 

259 

294 
137 

173 

288 

289 

253 
286 
68 

153 
144 

18 

2 
342 

337 
341 
268 

23 
174 
175 
105 

49 
43 
86 

93 

75 
72 
123 

281 

361 

345 
132 
299 
305 

306 
169 

288 
289 

2JO 
291 

292 
I  O2 

Two  travelling  peasants  

Rembrandt,  with  a  drawn  sabre,  held  upright  (Rembrandt 
f.  16-54).  •  • 

Rembrandt,  wifh  moustache  and  small  beard  

Rembrandt's  wife  with  pearls  in  her  hair  (Rembrandt  f. 
1  6^1) 

Study  of  Saskia  •  '  the  Great  Jewish  bride  '  (R  1634)  

A  young  woman  reading  (Rembrandt  f.  1634)  

Jan  Cornelis  Sylvius  (Janus  Sylvius)  (Rembrandt  f.  1634) 
Portrait,  unknown,  of  a  man  with  a  sabre  (Rembrandt  f. 
i6-u) 

A  beggar  and  a  companion  piece  ;   a  man  turned  to  the 
left  (Rembrandt  f.  1634)  

A  beggar  and  a  companion  piece  ;  a  man  turned  to  the 
right  (Rembran.  f.  163)  

St.  Jerome,  sitting  at    the  foot  of  a  tree  (Rembrandt  f. 
1634)  

The   Angel   appearing  to  the   Shepherds  (Rembrandt  f. 
1634).. 

Joseph  and  the  wife  of  Potiphar  (Rembrandt  f.  1634)  

The  Crucifixion  ;  a  small  square  plate  (Rembrandt  f.).  .  .  . 
Our  Lord  and  the   Disciples  at  Emmaus  ;  a  small  print 
(Rembrandt  f.  1634)  

The  Samaritan  Woman;    'at  the  ruins'  (Rembrandt  f. 
1634)  

The  Tribute  Money  

The  Travelling  Musicians  

1635 

Three  heads  of  women  

An  old  woman  sleeping  

The  Mountebank  (Rembrandt  f.  1635)  

Bust  of  an  old  man,  in  a  very  high  fur  cap  

A  man  with  curling  hair,  and  his  under  lip  thrust  out.  .  .  . 
An  old  man  with  short  straight  beard  ;  a  profile  to  the 
right  

A  ragged  peasant,  with  his  hands  behind  him  

Three  Oriental  heads.     First  head,  full  face  (Rembrandt 
1635)  

Three  Oriental  heads.     Second  head,  a  profile  to  the  left 
(Rembrandt)  .... 

Three  Oriental  heads.     Third  head,  a  profile  to  the  right 
(Rembrandt  1635)  

A  young  man  in  a  mczetin  cap  (R)  

Hust  of  an  old  man  asleep  (Rembrandt)  

The  Martyrdom  of  St.  Stephen  (Rembrandt  f.  1610... 

304 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

u 

e 
1 

5 

Wilson. 

Jesus  Christ  driving  out  the  money-changers  (Rembrandt 
f.  1615)... 

69 
103 
1  2O 

249 
24 

331 
83 
70 
89 
132 

334 
290 
248 
3i 

293 

25 

312 

37 
29 

329 
26 
261 

239 
131 

156 
S.  63 
J5o 
335 
97 

49 
ion 

73 
105 
126 

266 
19 

355 
82 

95 
89 

38 

358 
309 
265 

37 

26 
20 

332 
4i 
34 

353 

21 

278 
256 

133 
1  6O 
158 
152 

359 

102 

53 
in 

69 
102 
124 

269 
19 

365 

77 
9i 
85 
33 

368 

313 

268 
30 

29 

20 
342 

37 
28 

363 
21 
281 
259 
133 
I63 
161 
155 
369 
99 
49 
109 

44 
73 
93 

183 
203 

249 
52 
43 
59 
4 

251 
269 

258 
3 

216 

233 

200 

9 

i 

237 
234 
189 
268 

IOI 

126 
127 
116 

122 
70 
22 
7Q 

73 
107 
128 

2?I 

19 

359 
82 
96 

9°* 

135* 

362 

314 
270 

37 

26 
20 

338 
41 
35 

357 

21 

283 
260 

135 
1  60 
158 
152 
363 
IO4 

54 
m 

St   Jerome  kneeling  (Rembrandt  f.  1635)     

The  Pancake  Woman  (Rembrandt  f.  1635)  

1636 

Menasseh  Ben  Israel  (Rembrandt  f.  1636)  

Rembrandt  and  his  wife  (Rembrandt  f.  1636)  

Rembrandt's  wife   and   five   other  heads   (Rembrandt  f. 
1636)  

The  Ecce  Homo  (Rembrandt  f.  1636  cum  privele  et)  

The  Prodigal  Son  (Rembrandt  f.  1636)  

The  Virgin  mourning  the  death  of  Jesus   

Abraham  caressing  Isaac  (Rembrandt  f  )  

1637 

Three  heads  of  women,  one  asleep  (Rembrandt  f.  1637)  .  . 
An  old   man,  wearing  a  rich  velvet  cap  (Rembrandt  f. 
1637).  .. 

A  young  man  seated  ;  turned  to  the  left  (Rembrandt  f. 
1617).  . 

Abraham  sending  away  Hagar  and  Ishmael  (Rembrandt 
f.  1637)... 

1638 

Rembrandt  with  a  flat  cap  and  slashed  vest  (Rembrandt). 
Rembrandt  in  a  mezetin  cap  and  feather  (Rembrandt  f. 
1638)  

The  St.  Catharine,  or  the  Little  Jewish  Bride  (Rembrandt 
f.  1638)  

Joseph  telling  his  dreams  (Rembrandt  f.  1638)  

Adam  and  Eve  (Rembrandt  f.  1638)  

1639 

The  head  of  Rembrandt,  and  other  studies  

Rembrandt  leaning  on  a  stone  sill  (Rembrandt  f.  1639)..  . 
Wittenboogaert  :   '  The  Goldweigher  '  (Rembrandt  f.  1639) 
An  old  man  lifting  his  hand  to  his  cap  

A  Jew  with  a  high  cap  ;  a  full  length  (Rembrandt  f.  1639) 
A  beggar  standing,  seen  in  profile  :  to  the  left  

Three  beggars  —  a  man,  a  woman,  and  a  child  

A  physician  feeling  the  pulse  of  a  patient  

Two  women  in  separate  beds,  etc  

The  Death  of  the  Virgin  (Rembrandt  1639)  

The  Presentation  in  the  Vaulted  Temple  

Youth  surprised  by  death  (Rembrandt  f.  1610).  .  . 

THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


305 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

d 

c 
a 

CO 

e 
| 

* 
267 

97 
365 
155 
185 
204 
207 

273 

263 
3" 
356 
103 

65 

122 

48 
137 
133 
131 

118 
119 
120 

121 
230 

222 
223 

353 
350 
258 

no 
76 

87 
146 

tin 

1640 

Portrait,   unknown  —  an   old  man  in  a  divided  fur  cap 
(Rembrandt,  f.  1640)  

245 

92 
338 
153 
1  80 
199 
2O2 

251 

241 

287 

S.  140 

95 

60 
114 

42 

135 
128 
126 
"3 
"3 
H3 
U3 
225 

217 
222 

326 
323 

237 

105 

73 

85 
142 

224 

262 

96 
361 
155 
185 
204 
207 

268 

258 
306 
352 
IOI 

65 

1  20 

47 
136 

131 
129 
116 

"7 
118 
119 
230 

222 
222 

349 
346 
254 

1  08 
76 

86 
'45 

220 

265 

92 
371 
158 
188 
207 

2IO 

271 

26l 
3IO 
302 
98 

61 
118 

43 
136 

130 
128 
114 
115 
116 

"7 
233 

225 
226 

359 
356 
257 

105 
73 

82 
148 

272 

271 

40 
351 
352 
153 
310 

313 

170 

257 
177 
248 
69 

32 

7 

16 
104 

IOO 

99 
86 

87 
88 

•-> 
333 

327 
326 

202 
240 
262 

76 

47 
57 

112 

112 

The  Decollation  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  (Rembrandt  f. 

Sketch  of  a  dog  

The  little  dog  sleeping  .. 

The  Flute-player  (Rembrandt  f.  1640)  

A  large  tree  and  a  house  :  an  early  morning  effect  (R)...  . 
A  view  of  Amsterdam  

1641 

Cornelis  Claesz.  Anslo  (Rembrandt  1641)  

Portrait  :  a  man  with  a  crucifix  and  chain  (Rembrandt  f. 
1641)  

Portrait  of  a  boy,  half  length  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

An  old  woman  reading  

The  Baptism  of  the  Eunuch  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

The  Virgin  and  the  Holy  Child  in  the  clouds  (Rembrandt 
f.  1641)  

Jacob  and  Laban  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

The  Angel  ascending  from  Tobit  and  his  family  (Rem- 
brandt f.  1641)  

A  man  playing  cards  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

The  Draughtsman  

The  Schoolmaster  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

The  large  Lion  Hunt  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

A  small  Lion  Hunt  —  with  a  lioness  

A  Lion  Hunt  ;  a  companion  piece  

A  battle  piece  

Rembrandt's  Mill  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  

A  large  landscape,  with  a  Dutch  haybarn  (Rembrandt  f. 
1641)  

A  large  landscape,  with  a  mill  sail  (Rembrandt  f.  1641)  .  . 
1642 

A  man  in  an  arbor  (Rembrandt  f.  1642)  

St.  Jerome  ;  in  Rembrandt's  dark  manner  (Rembrandt  f. 
1642)  

The  Resurrection  of  Lazarus;  a  small  print  (Rembrandt 
f  1642)  

The   Descent  from  the  Cross  ;   a  sketch  (Rembrandt  f. 
1642)  

A  student  in  his  chamber  

A  cottage  with  white  pales  (Rembrandt  f.  1642)... 

306 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

1 

M 

£ 

1643 

Three  peasants  travelling  .           .... 

129 

339 
152 
204 

212 

88 
58 
58 
32 

201 

223 
2OO 
219 

26O 
142 
I64 

188 

185 
1  86 
181 
179 
178 
211 

258 
265 

57 
184 
116 

27 
257 
81 

132 
362 

154 
209 

217 

88 
62 
99 
39 
206 

228 
205 
225 

277 
144 
167 

193 

190 
191 
186 
184 

183 
216 

275 
282 
61 
189 

122 

22 
274 

84 

131 

372 
157 
212 

22O 

84 
58 
96 

34 
209 

231 

208 
228 

280 

M7 
170 

196 

193 
194 
189 
187 
186 
219 

278 
285 
57 
192 
1  20 

22 
277 

79 

1  2O 

349 
350 
315 

321 

60 
31 
67 
5 
312 

331 
3ii 
329 

187 
in 
134 

1  60 

158 
159 
154 
152 
151 
320 

172 
184 
30 

157 
83 

235 
171 
54 

134 
366 
154 
209 

217 

89 
63 
IOI 

38 

206 

228 

205 

225 

282 
145 

167 

193 

190 
191 

186 
184 
183 
216 

280 
287 
62 
189 
124 

22 
279 

85 

Sketch  of  a  tree   etc  

The  Hog  (Rembrandt  f.  1643)  

The  Three  Trees  (Rembrandt  f.  1643)  

1644 
The  Shepherd  and  his  Family  (Rembrandt  f.  1644)  

1645 
Jesus  Christ's  Body  carried  to  the  Tomb  (Rembrandt)  
A  Repose  •   in  outline  (Rembrandt  f   1645)  

St.  Peter  (Rembrandt  f.  r645)  

Abraham  with  his  son  Isaac  (Rembrandt  1645)..  

View  of  Omval,  near  Amsterdam  (Rembrandt  f.  1645)  .  .  . 
The  Boat-house,  called  'A  Grotto  with  a  Brook  '  (Rem- 
brandt 1645)  

Six's  Bridge  (Rembrandt  f.  1645)  

A  village  with  a  river  and  sailing  vessel  

1646 

Jan  Cornelis  Sylvius  ;  an  oval  portrait  (Rembrandt  1646). 
An  old  man  resting  his  hands  on  a  book  

A  beggar  woman  asking  alms  (Rembrandt  1646)  

An  Academical  figure  seated  on  the  ground  (Rembrandt 
f.  1646)  

A  figure,  formerly  called  'The  Prodigal  Son*  (Rembrandt 
1646).. 

Academical  figure  of  two  men  .    

The  Shepherds  in  the  wood  

The  Friar  in  the  Cornfield  

Ledikant  (Rembrandt  f.  1646)  

A  landscape,  with  a  man  sketching  the  scene  

1647 

The  Portrait  of  Jan  Six  (Rembrandt  f.  1647)  

1648 

The  Crucifixion  :  an  oval  olate.  .  .               

THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


307 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

u 

J 

- 

Wilson. 

St.  Jerome  writing,  seated  near  a  large  tree  (Rembrandt 
f   1648)    

IO2 

124 
170 
122 
221 
215 

75 
S.  91 
228 

68 
154 

216 
205 

2IO 

227 

227 

218 
209 

262 
S.  125 
252 
4i 
53 
39 
250 
187 
226 

15 
330 
66 

4<i 

106 

114 

173 
128 
227 
22O 

78 
250 
234 

93 
156 

220 
2IO 

215 
232 

233 
224 
214 

279 
322 
269 
46 

57 
44 
267 
192 
231 

ii 
354 
71 
50 

I03 

112 

I76 
126 
230 
223 

74 
253 
237 

89 
159 

224 
213 

218 
235 

236 
227 
217 

282 
330 
272 
42 

53 
40 
270 
195 
234 

II 

364 
67 
46 

74 

82 
146 
98 
330 
324 

49 

346 
337 

64 
353 

325 
316 

319 

335 

336 
328 
318 

174 
256 
1  80 

15 
26 

12 

84 

"7 
334 

236 
348 
39 
10 

108 
116 

173 

130 
227 

220 

78 
249 

234 

94 
156 

221 
2IO 

215 
232 

233 
224 
214 

284 
327 
274 
46 
58 
44 
272 
192 
231 

II 
353 
7» 
51 

Medea,  or  the  Marriage  of  Jason  and  Creusa  (Rembrandt 
f   1648)  

Three  beggars  at  the  door  of  a  house  (Rembrandt  f.  1648) 
A  few's  Synagogue  (Rembrandt  f  1648)  

Landscape  with  a  ruined  tower  and  clear  foreground  .... 

1649 

Jesus  Christ  healing  the  sick,  '  The  Hundred  Guilder  '  .  .  . 
The  Bull  (Rembrandt  f.  1649)  

Landscape  with  a  cow  drinking  

1650 
Jesus  Christ  in  the  midst  of  His  disciples  (Rembrandt 

The  Shell  or  the  Damier  (Rembrandt  f   1650)-.  

An  arched  landscape  with  a  flock  of  sheep  (Rembrandt  f. 
ifico^ 

A  peasant  carrying  milk  pails   

A  village  with  a  square  tower  ;   an  arched  plate  (Rem- 
brandt f   1650)     

Landscape  with  a  canal  and  swans  (Rembrandt  f.  1650)..  . 
Landscape  with   a  canal   and   large  boat  (Rembrandt  f. 

1651 

Portrait  of  Coppenol  •   a  smaller  plate  

Clement  de  Jonghe  (Rembrandt  f.  1651)  

Tobit  blind    with  the  dog  (Rembrandt  f.  1651)  

The  flight  into  Egypt  ;  a  night  effect  (Rembrandt  f.  1651). 

The  Bathers  (Rembrandt  f.  1651)  

The  Goldweigher's  Field  (Rembrandt  1651)  

1652 
Portrait  of  Titus    Rembrandt's  son  

A  Copse  and  paling  with  studies  of  a  horse,  etc  

Jesus  Christ  preaching  •  called  the  '  La  Tombe  '  

The  Adoration  of  the  Shenherds  :  a  niirht  niece..  . 

308 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Oaulby. 

DC  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

o 
c 
M 

« 

Wilson. 

Jesus  disputing  with  the  Doctors  ;  a  larger  plate  (Rem- 
brandt f   1652)    

64 
40 

,  8? 
112 
213 
214 

244 
104 

80 
56 
203 

90 
44 

46 

55 
62 

86 
50 

54 

63 
121 

254 
255 
264 

33 
34 
79 
58 
liq 

69 
45 
90 

"5 
218 
219 

261 

107 

Si 
60 
208 

91 
49 

51 

59 
67 

87 

54 

64 

68 
127 

271 

272 
281 
36 
40 
80 
98 
i2<; 

65 
41 
86 

"3 
221 
222 

264 
104 

78 
56 
211 

87 

45 
47 

55 
63 

83 
50 

60 

64 
125 

274 
275 
284 

35 
36 
76 
95 

121 

36 
13 

61 

85 
322 

323 

181 

75 

53 
29 

314 

63 
18 

20 

28 
34 

58 
23 

38 

35 
97 

178 

179 
188 
6 
8 
5i 
65 
94 

69 
45 
91 
"7 
218 
219 

266 
109 

8l 
61 
20S 

92 
50 

52 

60 
67 

ss 

55 
64 

6S 
129 

276 

277 
286 

39 
40 
80 
99 

127 

Divid  on  his  knees  (Rembrandt  f   1652)    

Jesus  Christ  entombed                 

The  Star  of  the  Kings  (Rembrandt)  

The  Canal  *  a  landscape  of  irregular  form    

The  Vista  (Rembrandt  f.  1652)  

1653 

Jan  Antonides  van  der  Linden  

St    Jerome  •  an  unfinished  piece  

Our    Lord    crucified    between   two   thieves  ;    otherwise 
known  as  'The  Three  Crosses'  (Rembrandt  f.  1653).. 
The  flight  into  Egypt,  called  'in  the  style  of  Elzheimer'.  . 
The  Sportsman   a  landscape  

1664 

Our  Lord  and  the  disciples  at  Emmaus  (Rembrandt  f. 
i6<u)  .                                                                       

The  Nativity  (Rembrandt  f  )  

The  Circumcision,  with  the  cask  and  net  (Rembrandt  f. 
161:4.) 

The  Flight  into  Egypt  —  the  Holy  Family  crossing  a  rill 
(Rembrandt  1654)  

The  Holy  Family,  with  the  Serpent  (Rembrandt  f.  1654).  . 
The  Descent  from  the  Cross;  a  night  piece  (Rembrandt 
i6=u).. 

The  Presentation  •  in  Rembrandt's  dark  manner  

Jesus  and  His  parents  returning  from  Jerusalem  (Rem- 
brandt f   1654)      

Jesus   disputing  with    the   Doctors  ;    the   smaller   print 
(Rembrandt  f   1654)  

The  Sport  of  Kolef  or  Golf  (Rembrandt  f.  1654)  

i6SS 

The  younger  Haring  (Rembrandt  f.  1655)  

Four  prints  for  a  Spanish  book  (Rembrandt  f.  1655)  

Our  Lord  before  Pilate  (Rembrandt  f   1655)  

St   Peter  and  St    John  at  the  Gate  of  the  Temple  

The  Goldsmith  (Rembrandt  i6nO.  .. 

THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


309 


Numbers  in  the  Catalogues  of 

Gersaint 
Yver  Daulby. 

De  Claussin. 

Bartsch. 

u 

• 
£ 

5 

Wilson. 

1656 

Johannes  Lutma  (Rembrandt  f.  1656)  

256 

253 
30 

78 
107 

II 
263 

71 
112 
IQZ 

I9I 

189 
197 

94 
195 

194 

273 
270 

35 

79 
no 

32 

280 

74 

112 
197 

196 

I94 
202 

97 

200 

199 

276 
273 
29 

75 
107 

32 
283 

70 
no 

2OI 

199 

197 
205 

94 

203 

202 

182 
176 

2 
50 

78 

228 
175 

45 
80 
164 

163 

161 
169 

66 
167 

1  66 

278 
275 
36 

79 

112 

32 

285 

74 
114 

197 
196 
194 

202 

98 
200 

199 

Abraham  Fransz,  or  Francen  

Abraham  entertaining  the  angels  (Rembrandt  1656)  

i6S7 
Our  Lord  in  the  Garden  of  Olives  

St   Francis  praying  (Rembrandt  f.  1657)  

1658 

Rembrandt  on  a  high  and  narrow  plate  (Rembrandt  f. 
1658)... 

Portrait  of  Coppenol  ;  a  large  plate  

Jesus  and  the  Samaritan  woman  ;  an  arched  print  (Rem- 
brandt 1658)    

An  Allegorical  piece  (Rembrandt  1658).      .       

A  woman  with  her  feet  in  the  water  (Rembrandt  f.  1658).  . 
A  woman  preparing  to  dress  after  bathing  (Rembrandt  f. 
1658)  .                                                                             

A  woman  seated  before  a  Dutch  stove  (Rembrandt  f. 
i6«;8).  . 

A  negress  lying  down  (Rembrandt  1658).  

1659 

St.  Peter  and  St.  John  at  the  Gate  of  the  Temple  (Rem- 
brandt f   1659)  

1660  1661 
The  woman  with  an  arrow  (Rembrandt  f.  1661)  

BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


A 


Observations  sur  1'Introduction  au  Catalogue  d'Estampes  de  M.  D.  G.  de  A. 
1861.     8vo. 

'        The  name  of  the  author  of  this  book,  published  under  the  above  initials,  is  stated  by  the  au- 
thorities of  the  British  Museum  to  be  Rocheaux. 

ALKEN  (Henry).  The  Art  and  Practice  of  Etching  ;  with  Directions  for  other  Meth- 
ods of  Light  and  Entertaining  Engraving.  London  :  1849.  8vo. 

ALVIN.     Les  Commencements  de  la  Gravure  aux  Pays  Bas.     8vo.     1857. 
ANLEITUNG  zur  Holzschneidekunst.     8vo.  pp.  143. 

ARGUES  (Gerard  d').     Maniere  de  Graver  en  taille-douce  et  a  1'eau  forte. 

This  is  a  practical  manual  of  Engraving  on  Cop-     who  was  a  geometrician,  was  born  at  Lyons  in  1597, 
per-plate  and  of  the  Etching  Process.    The  author,     and  died  there  in  1661. 

ARREST  du  Conseil  d'etat,  qui  maintient  et  garde  1'art  de  la  Graveure  de  Taille- 
douce,  au  burin  et  a  1'eau  forte  et  autre  maniere  telle  qu'elle  soil,  et  ceux  qui 
font  profession  d'icelui,  tant  regnicoles  qu'etrangers,  en  la  liberte  qu'ils  ont 
toujours  cue  de  1'exercer  dans  le  royaume,  sans  qu'ils  y  puissent  Sire  red  u  its  en 
maitrise,  ni  corps  de  metier,  ni  sujets  a  autre  regie,  ni  controlle,  sous  quelques 
noms  que  ce  soit.  Du  26  Mai  1660.  Paris.  410. 

ARTICLES  des  Statuts,  Reglements  et  Ordonnances  fails  et  accordez  entre  les  maistres 

tailleurs  graveurs  de  la  ville  et  fauxbourgs  de  Paris,  pour  etre  a  1'avenir  gardez 

et  observez  entr'eux,  sous  le  bon  plaisir  de  sa  Majeste.     21  Juin  1660.     Paris: 

1700.     410. 
ASHLEY  (Alfred).     Art  of  Etching  on  Copper.      London :    1849.     4to-  PP-  v'-  *8  ; 

with  14  plates. 
BAKER  (W.  S.).    American  Engravers  and  their  Works.     Philadelphia:  1876.     8vo. 

pp.  184. 
BAKER  (W.  S.).     The  Origin  and  Antiquity  of  Engraving.      Boston:    1875.      8vo. 

pp.  62. 
BAKER  (W.  S.).    William  Sharp,  Engraver:    His  Life  and  Catalogue  of  his  Works. 

Philadelphia:  1875.     8vo.  pp.  121. 
BALDINUCCI  (Filippo).    Cominciamento  e  progresso  dell'arte  di  Intagliari  in  rame, 

con  le  vite  de'  molti  piu  eccellenti  maestri  delta  stessa  professionc.     Firenze  : 

1686.    410. 


3M  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

BARTSCH  (Adam).  Catalogue  raisonne  de  toutes  les  estampes  qui  forment  1'oeuvre  de 
Rembrandt.  Vienne  :  1797.  2  vol.  in-8. 

BARTSCH  (Adam).  Catalogue  raisonnu  des  estampes  gravees  a  1'eau-forte  par  Guido 
Reni.  Vienne :  1795.  In-i2. 

BARTSCH  (Adam).  Le  peintre-graveur.  Vienne :  1803-1821.  21  vol.  in-8,  et  un 
atlas  in-4. 

BASAN  (F.).  Dictionnaire  des  Graveurs,  anciens  et  modernes,  depuis  1'origine  de  la 
gravure,  avec  une  notice  des  principales  estampes  qu'ils  ont  gravees,  suivi  des 
Catalogues  des  CEuvres  de  Jacques  Jordaens  et  de  Corneille  Vischer.  Paris  : 
1767.  3  vols.  I2mo.  2d  edit,  considerably  enlarged.  Paris:  1789.  2  vols.  8vo. 

Some  copies  of  the  second  edition  were  issued  with     Historique  sur  I'Art  de  la  Gravure  en  France,1' by 
a  new  title,  dated  1809,  to  which  was  added  "  Notice     Choffard. 

BATE  (John).  Art  of  Engraving.  \nMysteriesofNatureandArt.  London:  1634-5. 
4to. 

[BAVEREL  (J.  P.)  ET  MALPEZ.]  Notices  sur  les  Graveurs  qui  nous  ont  Iaiss6  des 
Estampes  marques  de  Monogrammes,  Chiffres,  Rebus,  Lettres  initiales,  etc., 
avec  une  description  de  leurs  plus  beaux  ouvrages  et  des  planches  en  taille- 
douce,  contenant  toutes  les  marques  dont  ils  se  sont  servis  ;  suivies  d'une  table 
qui  en  donne  1'explication.  2  vols.  Besancon  :  1807,  1808.  8vo.  pp.  xv.  360; 
322,  lix  ;  5  plates  of  engravers'  marks. 

PROSPER  DE  BEAUDICOUR  (M.).  Le  peintre-graveur  frangais  continufe.  Paris  :  1859. 
2  vol.  in-8. 

BEAUPRE.  Notice  sur  quelques  Graveurs  Nanceens  du  XVIII9  Siecle.  Nancy: 
1862.  8vo. 

BECKER  (Carl).  Jost  Amman,  Zeichner  und  Formschneider,  Kupferatzer  und 
Stecher.  Nebst  Zusatzen  von  R.  Weigel.  Leipzig:  1854.  410.  17  woodcuts. 

BECKER  (F.  P.)    Specimens  of  Engraving  by  the  Omnigraph.     London  :  n.  d.    410. 

BECKER  (Rod.  Zach.).  Gravures  en  bois  des  anciens  Maitres  allemands,  tirees  des 
planches  originales  recueilles  par  Jean  Albert  de  Derschau,  publiees  avec  un 
Discours  sur  la  Nature  et  1'Histoire  de  la  Gravure  en  Bois,  en  Allemand  et  en 
Fransais.  Three  parts.  Gotha :  1808,  1810,  1816.  Folio. 

BERNARD  (A.  J.).  Geofroy  Tory,  peintre  et  graveur,  premier  imprimeur  royal,  re- 
formateur  de  1'orthographe  et  de  la  typographic  sour  Frangois  Ier.  Paris  :  1857. 
8vo.  pp.  xri.  246  ;  14  woodcuts  in  the  text. 

This  is  the  first  edition  of_this  celebrated  work,      trious  of  French  printers,  as  well  as  a  king's  printer, 

The 


It  is  dedicated  to  Ambrpise  Firmin-Didot,  who  de-  to  which  class  M.  Didot  belonged.  The  author 
frayed  the  expense  of  its  publication,  desiring  to  mentions  that  he  was  formerly  an  employe  in  the 
make  known  the  history  of  one  of  the  most  illus-  Didot  printing  establishment. 

BERNARD  (A.  J.).  Geofroy  Tory,  peintre-graveur,  premier  imprimeur  royal,  reforma- 
teur  de  1'orthographe  et  de  1'irnprimerie  sous  Fran$ois  Ier.  Deuxieme  edition, 
entierement  refondue.  Paris  :  1865.  Royal  8vo. 

This  is  an  elegantly  printed  volume   from    tne  of  royal  printers  who  practised  in  Paris  from  1530  to 

printing  office  of  M.  Jouaust,  rue  St.  Honore,  Paris.  1600.     The  general  contents  include  an  account  of 

It  is  thus  divided  :    i.  Biography ;  2.  Bibliography  ;  the  works  written  or  annotated  by  Tory,  the  Books 

3.  Iconography;  with  an  appendix  including  a  list  of  Hours  edited  by  him,  his  works  printed  for  King 


THE  PRINT  COLLECl^OK.  315 

Francis  I.,  and  the  other  works  printed  by  Tory  for  accent,  and  the  cedilla  in  the  literature  and  printing 

various  patrons.     Then  follow  a  description  of  the  of  France,  and  memoranda  on  bookbinders  and  royal 

manuscripts  illuminated  by  Tory,  the  works  ornar  libraries.      Tory   is  worthy  of  remembrance,    not 

mented  with  engravings  by  Tory  and  his  pupils,  and  merely  as  an  eminent  printer,  but  as  the  writer  of 

the  trade-marks  of  publishers  and  printers  signed  the  fint  technical  book  on  printing  that  was  ever 

with  the  cross  of  Lorraine.     There  are  also  given  published.     This  was  the  book  called  Champfleury. 

the  verses  in  honor  of  Tory,  a  note  on  his  printing  See  TORY. 
offices,  on  his  introduction  of  the  apostrophe,  the 

BiRTHiAUD.  Nouveau  Manuel  complet  de  1'Imprimeur  en  taille-douce,  redige  par 
Boitard.  Orne  de  planches.  Paris :  1837.  24010. 

BLANC  (Charles).    Traite  de  la  Gravure  a  1'eau  forte.     Paris  :  1866.    8vo. 

BLANC  (Charles).  L'CEuvre  complet  de  Rembrandt  remarquablement  decrit  et  com- 
mente.  Paris  :  1859.  3  vol.  in-8. 

BONNARDOT  (Alf.).  Histoire  artistique  et  archeologique  de  la  Gravure  en  France. 
Paris  :  1849.  Royal  8vo. 

BOSSE  (Abraham).  Traite  des  Manieres  de  Graver  en  taille-douce,  sur  1'airain,  par 
le  moyen  des  eaux  fortes  et  des  vernies  durs  et  mols.  Ensemble  de  la  fagon 
d'en  imprimer  les  planches,  et  d'en  construire  la  presse,  et  autres  choses  con- 
cernant  les  dits  arts.  Paris  :  1645.  8vo.  pp.  75,  19  plates. 

This  is  the  first  edition  of  a  work  which  is  notable  lation  was  issued  at  Amsterdam,  1662,  nmo.     The 

for  its  completeness  for  the  time  of  its  production,  second  edition  was  issued  in  1701,  "  augmentee  de  la 

and  for  its  plates,  which  have  been  reproduced  by  nouvelle  maniere  dont  se  sert  M.leClerc,graveur  du 

most  subsequent  writers  on  the  art.    A  Dutch  trans-  Roi."     The  third  edition  bore  the  following  title  : 

BOSSE  (A.).  De  la  Maniere  de  Graver  a  1'eau  forte  et  a  burin,  et  de  la  Gravure  en 
maniere  noire.  Paris  :  1745.  8vo.  with  19  plates. 

The  augmentations  to  this  book  were  written  by  the  celebrated  engraver  Cochin.    A  fourth  edition 
was  issued  with  the  following  title  : 

BOSSE  (A.).  De  la  Maniere  de  Graver  a  1'eau  forte  et  au  burin,  et  de  la  Gravure  en 
maniere  noire.  Avec  la  fagon  de  construire  les  presses  moderneset  d'imprimer 
en  taille-douce.  Nouvelle  edition,  augmentee  de  1'impression  qui  imite  les 
tableaux,  de  la  gravure  en  maniere  de  crayon,  et  de  celle  qui  imite  le  lavis. 
Paris  :  1758.  8vo.  pp.  xxxii.  207,  21  plates. 

BOSSE  (A.).  Sentimens  sur  la  Distinction  des  diverses  Manieres  de  Peinture,  Des- 
sein,  et  Graveure,  et  des  originaux  d'avec  leurs  copies.  Ensemble  du  choix  des 
sujets  et  des  chemins  pour  arriver  facilementet  promptement  a  bien  portraiture. 
Paris  :  1649.  i6mo.  pp.  xvi.  115  ;  frontispiece  and  two  plates. 

BOUTARD  (M.).     Dictionnaire  des  Arts.     8vo.     1826. 

BOUTON  (V.  M.).  Trait6  £lementaire  et  Pratique  pour  append  re  a  graver  sans  maitre. 
Paris  :  no  date.  Crown  8vo.  pp.  53,  numerous  woodcuts. 

BREVIERE  (A.).     De  la  Xilographie  ou  Gravure  sur  Bois.     Rouen.     8vo.  1833. 

BROCKETT  (J.  T.).     Memoir  of  Thomas  Bewick.    With  a  descriptive  Catalogue  of 

his  Works.     Newcastle-on-Tyne  :   1830.     8vo. 

Contains  a  portrait  and  woodcuts.      Twenty-five  copies  only  were  printed,  at  the  instance  of  the 
Newcastle-on-Tyne  Typographical  Society. 

BROMLEY  (H.),     Catalogue  of  Engraved  British  Portraits.     London  :  1793.     410. 


3i6  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

BROWNE  (Alexander).  Ars  Pictoria  ;  or,  An  Academy  teaching  Drawing,  Painting, 
Limning,  Etching  ;  to  which  are  added  31  copper-plates.  London:  1675.  Folio. 

BRYAN  (Michael).  Dictionary  of  Painters  and  Engravers.  2  vols.  London  :  1816. 
410. New  edition,  revised  and  completed  to  the  present  time  by  George  Stan- 
ley. London  :  1849.  Imp.  8vo.  Plates  of  monograms. 

BURNET  (John).     Rembrandt  and  his  Works.     London:  1859.     In-4fig. 

CARPENTER  (William  Hookham).  Pictorial  notices;  consisting  of  a  memoir  of  Sir 
Anthony  Van  Dyck.with  a  descriptive  catalogue  of  the  etchings  executed  by 
him.  London :  1844.  In-4  port. 

CAULFIELD  (James).     Calcographiana.    8vo.     1814. 

CHATTO  (William  Andrew).  A  Treatise  on  Wood-Engraving,  Historical  and  Practi- 
cal. With  upwards  of  300  illustrations,  engraved  on  wood  by  John  Jackson. 

London  :    1839.     8vo.  pp.  xvi.  751. Second  edition,  with  a  new  chapter  on 

the  Artists  of  the  present  day,  by  Henry  G.  Bohn,  with  145  additional  wood- 
engravings.     London  :  1861.     8vo.  pp.  xvi.  664. 

Preface,  dated  London,  $th  December,    1838,   is  full  description  of  the  practice  of  wood-engraving, 

signed  by  W.  A.  Chatto  ;  and  there  is  an  introduc-  Incidentally  there  are  given  some  useful  remarks  on 

tory  address,  dated  151)1  December,  1838,  signed  by  printing  woodcuts;    for,  as  Mr.  Bohn  justly  says, 

John  Jackson.     This,  with  Ottley's  book  (see  OTT-  "  A  good  engraving  without  good  printing  is  iike  a 

LEV)  may  be  taken  as  the  standard  works  in  English  diamond  without  its  polish."    The  chapter  on  the 

on  wood-engraving.     The  following  is  a  synopsis  of  invention  of  typography,  which,  together  with  all 

the  contents :    Antiquity  of  engraving  ;   progress  of  the  historical  portion  of  this  work,  was  written  by 

wood  -  engraving  ;    the    invention   of  typography;  Mr.  Chatto,  is  extremely  well  done, 
wood  -  engraving    in    connection    with    the    press  ;         The  respective  shares  of  Jackson  and  Chatto  in 

wood  -  engraving    in    the   time    of    Albert   Diirer  ;  the  origination  or  compilation  of  this  work  were  the 

further  progress   and   decline  of   wood-engraving  ;  subject  of  much  disagreement,  and  caused  the  issue 

revival  of  wood  -  engraving  ;    artists  and  engravers  of  the  following  pamphlet : 
on  wood  of  the  present  day.     There  is  appended  a 

CHATTO  (W.  A.).  A  Third  Preface  to  "  A  Treatise  on  Wood-Engraving.  Historical 
and  Practical,"  exposing  the  fallacies  contained  in  the  first,  restoring  the  pas- 
sages suppressed  in  the  second,  and  containing  an  account  of  Mr.  John  Jackson's 
actual  share  in  the  composition  and  illustration  of  that  work.  In  a  Letter  to 
Stephen  Oliver.  By  Wm.  A.  Chatto,  author  of  the  first  seven  chapters  of  the 
work,  and  the  writer  of  the  whole,  as  originally  printed.  London  :  printed  for 
the  Author.  1839.  8vo.  pp.  36. 

CHATTO  (W.  A.).  The  History  and  Art  of  Wood-Engraving,  with  Specimens  of  the 
Art,  Ancient  and  Modern.  London:  1848.  Folio.  55  wood-engravings  ;  text, 
28  pp.  Republished  the  following  year,  with  extra  illustrations  and  the  follow- 
ing title  : 

CHATTO  (W.  A.).  Gems  of  Wood-Engraving  from  the  Illustrated  London  News,  with  a 
History  of  the  Art,  Ancient  and  Modern.  London:  1849.  Folio.  93  plates; 
text,  28  pp. 

The  chief  value  of  this  work  consists  in  its  plates,  the  art  is  slight,  but  interesting.    It  originally  ap- 

reprinted  from  the  Illustrated  London  News,  which  peared  in  the  Illuttrated  London  News  between 

show  the  perfection  that  the  art  of  wood-engraving,  the  zoth  of  April  and  the  6th  of  July,  1844.     The 

as  applied  to  pictorial  journalism,  had  attained  in  illustrations  of  this    portion   are    mostly  given,  in 

1849.     The  sketch  of  the  history  and  processes  of  smaller  size,  in  Chatto  and  Jackson's  "  Treatise." 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  317 

CHAUBRY  DE  TRONCENORD  (M.  le  Baron).     Notice  sur  les  Artistes  Graveurs  de  la 

Champagne,  lue  dans  ja  seance  du  i"  Juillet,  1857.     Chalons  :  1858.     8vo. 
CHELSUM  (James,  D.D.).     A  History  of  the  Art  of  Engraving  in  Mezzotinto,  from 
its  origin  to  the  present  time,  including  an  account  of  the  works  of  the  Earliest 
Artists.     Winchester:  1786.     8vo.     2  leaves,  pp.  100;  index,  etc.,  6  leaves. 
Dr.  James  Chelsum,   a  learned   English  divine,      for  in  this  country  it  has  been  chiefly  cultivated,  has 
was  born  at  Westminster  about  1740,  and  died  1801.      received  its  highest  improvements,  and  therefore  de- 
He  says  that  the  art  of  engraving  in  mezzotint  had      serves  the  name  of  "  the  English  manner."    The 
within  a  few  years  previously  attained  to  so  high      work  treats  of  the  nature  of  the  art  of  mezzotint,  its 
a  degree  of  perfection  that  its  history  may  justly     supposed  origin  and  invention,  and  of  the  several 
claim  to  be  separately  recorded.     In  England  espe-     successive  artists  who  have  practised  it. 
cially  it  ought  not  to  pass  without  distinct  notice, 

CHEVREUL  (Michel  Eugene).     Considerations  sur  la  reproduction,  par  les  precedes 
de  M.   Niepee  de  Saint  Victor,  des  images  gravees,  dessinees  ou  imprimes. 
Paris  :  1847.     8vo. 
CHOFFARD  (Pierre  Philippe).     Notice  historique  sur  1'art  de  la  Gravure  en  France. 

Paris :  1804.     8vo. 

Choffard,  a  French  engraver,  was  born  at  Paris,  in  we  owe  many  of  the  charming  vignettes  to  be 
1730,  and  died  there  1809.  Engaged  from  the  age  found  in  the  French  books  of  that  period.  This 
of  ten  in  the  service  of  a  map-engraver,  he  devoted  Notice  was  reprinted  in  Hasan's  "  Dictionnaire  des 
his  attention  to  more  artistic  work,  and  to  his  fancy  Graveurs."  (See  BASAN.) 

CHRONOLOGICAL  (A)  Series  of  Engravers  from  the  Invention  of  the  Art  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  present  century.  Cambridge:  1770.  121110. 

CICOGNARA.     Catalogo  rag,  dei  libri  d'arte.     8vo.     1821. 

CICOGNARA  (el  Commendatore  Leopoldo).  Lettera  intorno  ad  alcune  nuove  Scoperte 
e  Partiche  applicate  all'  Arte  dell'  Intaglio  e  dell'  Impressione.  n.  d.  8vo. 

CICOGNARA.     Memorie  spettanti  alia  Storia  della  Calcografia.     Prato  :  1831. 

The  text  is  contained  in  an  octavo  volume,  pp.  "  delle  carte  da  giuoco."    The  third,  "  della  litogra- 

267.     The  first  part  treats  "  dell'  origine,  composi-  fia,"  with  an  appendix  and  full  index.     The  plates 

zione  e  decomposizione  de  nielli  ;"  '•  descrizione  dei  of  engravings  illustrating  the  work  are  contained  in 

nielli;"  "nielli  in  commercio."    The  second  part,  a  folio  volume  of  16  leaves. 

COMBE  (Charles.  M.D.).  A  Catalogue  of  his  collection  of  prints,  formed  with  a 
view  to  elucidate  and  improve  the  History  of  Engraving  from  the  earliest  period 
of  the  art  till  the  year  1700.  London  :  1803.  8vo. 

COMPLETE  (The)  Aquatinter  ;  being  the  whole  process  of  Etching  and  Engraving  in 
Aquatinta  ;  the  use  of  aquafortis,  with  all  the  tools  necessary.  London.  410. 

COMTE  (Florente  le).     Cabinet  des  Singularitez  d'Architecture,  Peinture,  Sculpture, 

et  Graveure.     Paris  :  1699-1700.     3  vols.  8vo. 
CORRARD  DE  BREBAN.     Les  Graveurs  Troyens.     Recherches  sur  leur  vie  et  leurs 

oeuvres,  avec  facsimile.     Paris  et  Troyes  :  1868.     8vo,  pp.  94. 

Only  170  copies  printed  of  this  work,  which  gives     place.     At  the  end  is  a  plate  containing  representa- 
a  list,  with  biographical  notices,  of  ail  the  engra-      tions  of  the  marks  or  monograms  of  the  engravers 
vers  of  Troyes,  in  chronological  order,  as  well  as      referred  to. 
those  to  whom  is  assigned  an  origin  in  the  same 

CRAIG  (William  Marshall).  A  Course  of  Lectures  on  Drawing,  Painting,  and  En- 
graving, considered  as  branches  of  Elegant  Education.  Delivered  in  the  Saloon 
of  the  Royal  Institution.  London  :  1821.  8vo.  Plates. 


318  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

DALEAWAY  (James).    Walpole-Vertue  catalogue  of  Engravers.     Svo.     1828. 
DAULBY  (Dan.).     Descriptive  Catalogue  of  the  Works  of  Rembrandt.     Svo.     1736. 

DAVENPORT  (S.  T.).  Engraving  and  other  reproductive  Art  Processes.  In  the 
Journal  of  the  Society  of  Arts,  January  13,  1865.  London.  8vo. 

DAVENPORT  (S.  T.).  Engraving.  [In  "  British  Manufacturing  Industries,"  edited  by 
G.  Phillips  Bevan,  pp.  75-124.]  London  :  1876.  Crown  Svo. 

The  late  Mr.  Samuel  Davenport  was  an  amateur  chalcography,  and  all  allied  or  correlated  arts, 
of  much  experience.  The  history  begins  with  the  Some  of  the  outlines,  especially  that  of  the  origin 
Deluge,  and  embraces  typography,  lithography,  of  Nature  Printing,  are  inaccurate. 

DECLARATION  du  Conseil  d'Etat  du  Roy,  rendue  en  faveur  de  la  communaute  des 
maitres  graveurs  de  la  ville  de  Paris.  Du  28  Juin,  1705.  Paris.  410. 

Ordering  six  master  engravers  to  be  added  to  the      the  working  engravers  were  only  to  work  under  the 
Community,  and   that   the  fund  they  bring   in  go      master  engravers, 
toward  the  balance  due  to  the  exchequer  ;  also  that 

DELABORDE  (Henri).     La  gravure  depuis  son  origine.     1860.     In-S. 

DELAISTRE  (L.).  Notice  necrologique  sur  feu  Jean-Louis-Toussaint  Caron,  graveur. 
[Paris  :  1847.]  Svo. 

Extract  from  the  "  Memoires  de  la  Societe  libre  des  Beaux-Arts." 

DELESCHAMPS  (Pierre).  Des  Mordants,  des  Vernis,  et  des  Planches  dans  1'Art  du 
Graveur  ;  ou  Traite  complet  de  la  Gravure.  Paris  :  1836.  Svo.  pp.  xv.  271. 

A  practical  work  on  every  branch  of  the  art  of  processes.     At  the  end  are  four  folding  plates  of  the 

engraving    for    the    copper-plate,    lithographic,    or  appliances,  apparatus,  etc.,  described  in  the  book, 

letterpress  printing  processes.     It   includes  stereo-  The  French  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Na-f 

typing  and  automatic  or  chemical  engraving  in  relief,  tional    Industry  awarded  the  author  its  medal  o 

as  well    as   machines   for   the  purpose  of    making  honor  in  1835  for  a  new  etching  process  which  he 

engravings,  pantography,  diagraphy,  glyphography,  invented, 
electrotypography,  and  a  variety  of  other  curious 

DELESSERT  (Benjamin).  Notice  sur  la  Vie  de  M.  A.  Raimondi,  graveur  Polonais, 
accompagnee  de  reproductions  photographiques  de  quelques-unes  de  ses 
estampes.  Paris :  1853.  Folio. 

DEMBOUR  (A.).  Description  d'un  nouveau  Precede  de  Gravure  en  relief  sur  cuivre, 
dite  Ectypographie  metallique.  Metz :  1835.  4to-  PP-  3r>  w'tn  8  pages  of 
specimens. 

The  book  describes   a  new  style  of  etching,  in      be  called,  not  " ectypography,"  but  "typographic 
which  the  lines  are  raised  or  in  relief,  instead  of     etching." 
being  depressed  or  sunk  in.    The  system  would  now 

DEMBOUR  (A.).  Die  Metall-Ektypographie.  Aus  dem  Franzosischen  von  Heim. 
Meyer.  Braunschweig :  1835.  410. 

DENMSTOUN  (James)  of  Dennistoun.  Memoirs  of  Sir  Robert  Strange,  engraver, 
member  of  several  foreign  Academies;  and  of  his  brother-in-law,  Andrew 
Lumisden,  private  secretary  to  the  Stuart  princes.  2  vols.  London  :  1855. 
Svo. 

DESCAMPS  Vie  des  peintres.     Svo.     1653. 

DESMARETZ  (M.).     Eloge  historique  de  Callot.     Nancy  :  1828.    In-S. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


319 


DIDOT  (A.  F.)-     Essai  Typographique  et  Bibliographique  sur  1'Histoire  de  la  Gra- 

vure  sur  Bois.     Paris  :   1863.     Svo. 

This  treatise  on  wood-engraving  was  prefixed  to  a  Vecillio's  "  Costumes  anciens."    Didot's  Essay  oc- 

sumptuous  edition,  published  by  Didot   Freres,  of  cupies  five  preliminary  pages. 

DOISSIN  (Ludovico).     Sculptura  :  Carmen.     Parisiis  :  1752.     I2mo. 

The  second  edition  of  this  poem  on  engraving,  published  in  1753,  had  a  French  translation. 

DONLEVY  (John).  The  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Graphic  Arts,  including  notices  of 
illumination,  chalcography,  wood-engraving,  lithography,  chromography,  and 
intagliography,  elucidating  the  new  art  of  Chromoglyphotype,  invented  by  John 
Donlevy.  New  York  :  1854.  410.  pp.  24. 

This  work  gives  a  rapid  but  interesting  sketch  of  by  the  economical  operation  of  the  typographic 
the  origin  of  the  several  graphic  arts,  but  appears  to  press  in  a  style  of  art  immeasurably  superior  to  any- 
have  been  written  to  introduce  some  new  processes  thing  which  it  is  possible  to  produce  by  engraving  or 
of  printing  which  the  author  had  invented,  and  lithography.  Intagliotypes  have  hitherto  been  much 
which  he  called  Chemitype  Transfer,  Typographic  neglected  by  printers.  .  .  .  Their  extraordinary 
Modelling,  and  Chromoglyphotype  Copying.  He  capacity  for  polychromatic  production  has  been  en- 
says  that  "he  discovered  the  principle  of  antago-  tirely  overlooked  for  four  centuries— from  the  inven- 
nistic  union— that  is,  a  chemical  medium  in  which  tion  of  printing  by  John  Guttenberg  to  the  invention 
acids,  alkalies,  greasy  and  resinous  substances,  which  of  chromo-glyphotype  by  John  Donlevy."  The, 
previously  repelled  each  other,  are  compelled  to  patents  for  these  new  methods  of  printing  were  held 
unite  and  change  their  character,  and  their  union,  by  Horace  Greeley,  New  York,  by  whom  a  printing 
or  portions  of  them,  in  a  peculiar  manner,  consti-  office  and  stereotype  foundry,  based  on  this  inven- 
tutes  a  solvent  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  transfer  tion,  were  established.  We  do  not  know  the  exact 
and  print  manuscript,  written  on  ordinary  paper,  nature  of  Mr.  Donlevy's  invention,  or  whether  it 
with  greater  ease  than  it  could  be  transferred  if  was  ever  carried  out.  We  find,  however,  in  search- 
written  on  lithographic  paper ;  as  well  as  woodcuts,  ing  the  specification  of  American  patents,  that  on 
engravings,  new  and  old  books,  and  printed  matter  Jan.  3,  1854,  Mr.  John  Donlevy  was  awarded  a 
of  every  description."  He  also  invented  a  new  litho  patent  for  "a  method  of  producing  intagliographic 
press  and  a  cylindrical  machine  for  chemical  print-  printing  and  other  plates,  from  forms  of  types,  by 
ing.  In  regard  to  "  Chromoglyphotype,"  it  is  stated  surrounding  the  types,  whilst  in  contact  with  a  glass 
that  "  the  principal  characteristic  of  this  mode  is  plate,  or  its  equivalent,  with  plaster  of  Paris,  or 
the  exclusive  use  of  intagliotypes  instead  of  the  or-  some  equivalent  therefor  ;  so  that  when  set  the  sur- 
dinary  relief  types  generally  used  by  printers,  in  face  of  the  plaster  will  be  on  the  same  plane  with 
combination  with  peculiar  plastic  processes,  by  the  surface  of  the  types,  and  then  stereotyping  the 
which  polychromatic  plates,  adapted  to  every  variety  form  of  types  thus  surrounded." 
of  chromographic  effect,  can  be  produced  and  printed 

DUCHESNE  aine  (Jean).  Essai  sur  les  Nielles,  Gravures  des  Orfevres  Florentins  du 
XV  Siecle.  Paris  :  1826.  Svo.  pp.  xii.  381.  Six  copies  printed  on  large 
paper  in  quarto. 

Although  this  work  chiefly  concerns  itself  with  device  or  ornament  in  intaglio,  with  the  chisel,  in  a 
niello,  it  embraces  a  large  amount  of  information  silver  plate.  These  intaglie,  or  sunken  portions  of 
upon  the  different  kinds  of  engraving  on  wood,  the  plate,  were  then  filled  up  with  an  alloy  or  corn- 
stone,  and  metal.  The  historical  part  begins  with  position  of  silver  and  lead.  This  mixture,  from  in 
a  chapter  on  engraving  among  the  nations  of  an-  dark  color,  was  called  nifdlttm.  Being  melted  intn 
tiquity,  on  the  printing  of  playing-cards,  on  xylog-  the  intaglio  devices  and  reduced  to  a  uniform  surface, 
raphy,  and  on  the  first  books  printed  in  movable  it  caused  the  ornaments  or  figures  to  appear  in  dark 
characters.  The  book  is  well  illustrated  with  plates  relief  on  a  silver  ground,  and  gave  to  the  work  the  ap- 
of  the  objects  described.  The  relation  of  niello  to  pearance  of  a  picture  in  chiaroscuro  at  once  rich  and 
copper-plate  engraving  is  little  understood.  The  harmonious  in  effect.  Maso  Finiguerra,  or  Fingu- 
latter  art  is  of  comparatively  recent  origin,  and  it  era,  a  goldsmith  of  Florence  and  a  proficient  in  the 
was  foreshadowed  in  the  former,  an  ancient  method  art  of  nitllo,  has  obtained  the  honorable  distinction: 
much  in  use,  and  extremely  popular  in  the  Italian  of  being  considered  the  inventor  of  the  art  of  cop- 
states,  and  especially  in  Florence,  in  the  fifteenth  per-plaie  engraving.  The  above  work  contains  a 
century.  The  workers  in  nitllo  used  to  cut  the  portrait  of  him  and  many  specimens  of  hi*  works  in 


320  THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

nitllt.  Some  of  these  are  taken  from  the  original  obtained  in  this  mannsr.  M.  Duchesne  is  also  the 
plates,  for  the  engraving  in  this  style  was  not  deep,  author  of  the  article  "Gravure"  in  the  "Moyen 
and  it  has  been  found  that  excellent  prints  may  be  Age  et  la  Renaissance." 

DUCHBSSE  aine.  Notice  des  estampes  exposees  a  la  Bibliotheque  du  roi.  8vo. 
1828.  p.  44  et  42. 

DUERER  (Albert).     Albert  DUrer.     Chemnitz  :  1802.     8vo.  pp.  62. 1823.     8vo. 

An  account  of  the  life  and  works  of  Duerer. 

DUERER.  Von  dem  Leben  und  den  vorziiglichsten  Werken  des  berUhmten  Meisters 
Albrecht  Dlirer  von  NUrnberg.  Basle  :  1855.  410.  pp.  8  and  2  lithog.  plates. 

DUERER.    Zu  Diirer's  Ehre.    Am  7.  April,  1828.    Sacularfeier.    NUrnberg  :  1828.    410. 

DUERER  (Albert).  See  AREND,  CAMPE,  EYE,  GALICHON,  HAUSSMANN,  HELD,  HELLER, 
HESSE,  HUSSGEN,  MARGGRAFF,  NAGLER,  ROTH,  SCHOBER,  THAUSING,  WEISE. 

DUMESNIL  (A.  P.  F.  Robt.).  Le  Peintre-graveur  fransais,  ou  Catalogue  raisonne 
des  estampes  gravees  par  les  peintres  et  les  dessinateurs  de  1'ecole  fransaise. 
Paris  :  1835-1871.  n  vols.  8vo. 

This  fine  work  gives  not  only  a  list  of  the  produc-       as  a  work  of  reference.     It  is  intended  as  a  sequel  to 
tions  of  the  modern  French  masters  of  engraving,      the  similar  production  of  M.  Bartsch. 
but  memoirs,  and  therefore  becomes  of  great  value 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).  Essai  de  Bibliographic,  contenant  1'indication  des  ouvrages 
relatifs  a  1'Histoire  de  la  Gravure  et  des  Graveurs.  Paris  :  1862.  8vo.  pp.  48. 

This  very  accurate  list  of  books,  relating  to  the  increased,  another  list  was  required,  and  it  assumed 

history  of  engraving  and  memoirs  of  engravers,  ex-  such  dimensions  as  to  suggest  its  publication  as  a 

tends  to  nearly  700  items.     We  are  largely  indebted  bibliography  of   the  subject.     The  very  complete 

to  it  for  titles  in  this  Bibliography  of  Printing,  and  "  Kunst-Catalog"  of  R.  Weigel  and  the  Bibliogra- 

are  glad  to  acknowledge  the  remarkable  accuracy  of  phy  which  M.  P.  Cheron  contributed  to  the  Gazette 

its  annotations,  in  so  far,  at  least,  as  we  have  tested  des  Beaux-Arts  have,  however,  been  utilized.     A 

them.     The  Essay  of  M.  Duplessis  found  its  origin  very   small  number  of  copies  of   this  essay  were 

in  a  mere  catalogue  of  the  private  collection  of  printed,  and  it  is  consequently  of  rare  occurrence, 
books  belonging  to  the  author.    When  these  became 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges)  Essai  d'une  Bibliographic  generale  des  Beaux-Arts.  Paris : 
1866.  8vo. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).     Les  Graveurs  sur  Bois  contemporains.     Paris  :  1857.     8vo. 
DUPLESSIS  (Georges).     De  la  Gravure  de  Portrait  en  France.     Paris  :  1875.     8vo. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).  Des  Gravures  sur  bois  dans  les  livres  de  Simon  Vostre, 
libraire  d'Heures.  Par  Jules  Renouvier,  avec  un  avant-propos  par  G.  D.  Paris : 
1862.  8vo.  pp.  vii.  22.  3  plates. 

In  the  preface  M.  Duplessis  shows  how  necessary  gross.  The  books,  too,  of  his  own  country  he  con- 
it  becomes  for  the  investigator  into  the  istory  of  siders  especially  suitable  for  the  prosecution  of  such 
wood-engraving  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  devo-  an  inquiry.  This  little  work  is  exceedingly  interest- 
tional  works  known  as  Books  of  Hours,  and  how  ing,  and  cannot  be  overlooked  by  any  future  his- 
considerable  is  the  light  they  throw  upon  its  pro-  torian. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).     Histoire  de  la  Gravure  en   France,  ouvrage  couronne  par 

1'Institut  de  France,  Academic  des  Beaux-Arts.      Paris  :  1861.     8vo.  pp.  408. 
This  is  the  standard  work  on  the  history  of  French      be  desired  except,  perhaps,  some  illustrations,  for 
engraving.     The  memoirs,  as  well  as  the  descrip-      the  book  is  very  dry  reading  indeed, 
tions,  are  laboriously  accurate,  and  leave  nothing  to 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  321 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).  Memoires  et  Journal  de  J.  G.  Wille,  graveur  du  roi.  Publics 
d'apres  les  manuscrits  autographes  de  la  Bibliotheque  imperiale.  Avec  une 
preface  par  Edmond  et  Jules  de  Goncourt.  Paris  :  1857.  8vo.  vol.  i.  pp.  xvii. 
584  ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  437. 

M.    Duplessis  disinterred   the   diary  of  this  eel-      historical  matter,  and  is  otherwise  exceedingly  inter- 
ebrated  royal  engraver,  which  abounds  in  valuable     esting. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).  Les  Merveilles  de  la  Gravure.  Ouvrage  illustre  par  P.  Sellier. 
Paris:  1869.  8vo  pp.  419.  2d  ed.,  Paris:  1871.  8vo. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).     The  Wonders  of  Engraving.     Illustrated  with  ten  reproduc- 
tions in  autotype  and  34  wood-engravings  by  P.  Sellier.     London  :  1871.     8vo. 
PP-  x.  338. 
This  work  does  not  attain  to  the  dignity  of  being     those  who  require  this  kind  of  information  dished  up 

an  historical  account  of  the  origin  of  wood-engrav-      in  the  very  lightest  style. 

ing,  but  is  rather  intended  for  popular  use  and  for 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).  Notice  sur  la  Vie  et  les  Travaux  de  Gerard  Audran,  graveur 
ordinaire  du  roi.  Paris.  8vo.  Only  100  copies  printed. 

DUPLESSIS  (Georges).    Catalogue  de  I'reuvre  de  Abraham  Bosse.    Paris  :  1859.    In-8. 

DURAZZO  (Conte  Jacopo).  Descrizione  della  Raccolta  di  Stampe,  esposta  in  una 
dissertazione  sull' arte  dell' intaglio  in  stampa.  Parma:  1784.  410. 

EBNER  (L.).  Verzeichniss  der  von  Johann  Adam  Klein,  Maler  und  Kupferstecher, 
gezeichneten  und  radirten  Blatter  (vom  Jahre  1805  bis  1846).  Stuttgart:  1853. 
8vo. 

EKTYPOGRAPHIE  :  oder,  die  Kunst  Zeichnungen  auf  Kupferplatten  hoch  zu  atzen. 
Quedlinburg  :  1840.  8vo. 

EMERIC-DAVID  (Toussaint  Bernard).     Discours  Historique  sur  la  Gravure  en  Taille- 
douce  et  sur  la  Gravure  en  Bois.     Paris  :  1808.     8vo,  pp.  83. 
Extract  from  the  Moniteur  Universe!,  October,  1808. 

EMERIC-DAVID.  Histoire  de  la  Peinture  au  Moyen  Age,  suivi  de  1'Histoire  de  la 
Gravure.  Paris:  1863.  I2mo. 

ENGRAVERS.  A  Chronological  Series  of  Engravers  from  the  Invention  of  the  Art  to 
the  Beginning  of  the  present  Century.  Cambridge  :  1770.  i2mo. 

ENGRAVERS  (Society  of).    The  Rules,  Orders,  and  Regulations  of  the  Society  of  En- 
gravers, instituted  at  London,  1802,  giving  a  list  of  the  Governors,  Officers,  and 
Committee,     pp.  70.     London  :   1804. 
The  same  year  was  published  an  "  Abstract  of  the  Rules,  Orders,  and  Regulations  of  the  Society  of 

Engravers,"  etc. 

ERNESTI  (J.A.).  Prolusio,  in  qua  quseritur,  quibus  litterarium  disciplinis,  ct  quatc- 
nus,  Chalcographia  prosit.  Lipsue  :  1740.  410. 

EVELYN  (John).  Sculptura,  or  the  History  and  Art  of  Chalcography  and  Engraving 
on  Copper,  with  an  ample  Enumeration  of  the  most  renowned  Masters  and  their 
Works.  To  which  is  annexed  a  new  manner  of  Engraving,  or  Mczzotinto,  com- 
municated by  his  Highness  Prince  Rupert  to  the  author  of  this  treatise.  London: 
1662.  I2mo. 2d  Edition,  corrected  and  enlarged,  with  Memoir  and  Portrait 


322  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

of  the  Author.     London:    1755.     pp.  xxxvi.  and  140.     8vo. London:    1769. 

8vo. 

The  engraved  plate  by  Prince  Rupert  has  in  many  is  due  to  Prince  Rupert  for  having  brought  the  art 

copies  been  cut  out  to  enrich  the  collections  of  the  into  England  ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  invent- 

curious.     It  is,  however,  the  principal  singularity  of  or  was  a  German  officer  named  L.  von  Siegen,  who 

the  book,  which  speaks  for  the  first  time,  and  wi'h  served  in  the  army  of  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse,  and 

mystery,   of  engraving   in   mezzotinto   as  a  secret  who  imparted  his  secret  to  Prince  Rupert.     A  list  of 

which  had  not  before  been  made  public.    All  praise  engravings  by  Prince  Rupert  will  be  found  at  p.  131. 

EYE  (A.  von).  Leben  und  Wirken  Albrecht  Dtirer's.  Nordlingen:  1860.  8vo. 
pp.  525. 2d  Edition,  with  appendix.  Nordlingen  •  1869.  Svo,  pp.  533. 

FAITHORNE  (William).  The  Art  of  Graveing  and  Etching,  wherein  is  exprest  the 
true  way  of  graveing  in  Copper.  Also  the  manner  and  method  of  Callot  and 

Mr.  Bosse  in  their  severall  ways  of  etching.      London  :  1662.     Svo. 1702. 

i2mo.  10  plates. 

William   Faithorne,  a  celebrated  engraver,   was  business,  he  fell  into  great  distress,  and  died  at  the 

born  in  London  in  the  year  1616,  and  died  in  the  early  age  of  thirty. 

same  city  in  1691.  He  was  a  pupil  of  "Peak,  the  Wm.  Faithorne  the  elder  is  remembered  in  typo- 
painter.  In  the  civil  war  Faithorne  espoused  the  graphic  history  as  the  fabricator  of  the  portraits  of 
cause  of  the  Royalists,  and  was  taken  prisoner,  but  early  printers.  Sir  Hans  Sloane  appears  to  have  en- 
released  with  permission  to  retire  to  the  Continent,  gaged  him  to  engrave  likenesses  of  some  of  the  pa- 
in France  he  nut  with  protection  and  encourage-  irons  and  disseminators  of  learning,  desiring  to  have 
ment  from  the  Abbe  de  Marolles,  and  associated  those  of  Caxton,  Wynken  de  Worde,  and  others, 
himself  with  the  celebrated  Nanteuil.  On  his  re-  Faithorne  was  not  very  scrupulous  in  obtaining  ma- 
turn  to  England,  about  the  year  1650,  he  commenced  terial  for  executing  this  commission.  He  resorted 
business  as  printseller  and  engraver  near  Temple  to  Bagford,  who  had  collected  some  engraved  por- 
Bar,  where  he  remained  till  the  year  1680,  when  he  traits,  and  copied  what  were  supplied  to  him  ;  but 
left  his  shop  and  retired  to  Printing-house  Yard,  where,  as  in  the  case  of  the  English  proto-printer,  a 
where  he  still  continued  to  work  for  the  booksellers,  portrait  was  unattainable,  he  seems  to  have  drawn 
His  son  William  did  not  follow  his  father's  mode  of  upon  his  imagination.  We  have  alluded  tochis  cir- 
engraving  ;  he  engraved  in  mezzotint,  and  might  cumstance  in  our  sketch  of  Caxton,  ante:  and  refer- 
have  acquired  some  celebrity,  but,  neglecting  his  ence  to  other  fabrications,  for  which  Faithorne  is 

responsible,  will  be  found  hereafter. 

FERADINY  (J.  F.).  Memoire  pour  Jean-Franc.ois  Feradiny,  'graveur  en  estampes, 
detenu  es  prisons  de  la  Conciergerie  du  Palais,  intime,  contre  M.  le  Procureur- 
General,  appellant.  [Paris:  no  date.]  410. 

FERRARIO  (Giulio).  Le  classiche  Stampe  dal  Cominciamento  della  Calcografia  fino 
al  presente.  Milano  :  1836.  Svo.  pp.  cxiii.  401. 

FIELDING  (Theodore  HA  The  Art  of  Engraving,  with  the  various  modes  of  opera- 
tion. Illustrated  with  specimens  of  the  different  styles  of  engraving.  London  : 
1841.  Royal  Svo.  pp.  vii.  109. 

FIORILLO  (Johann  Dominik).  Geschichte  der  zeichnenden  Kiinste  in  Deutschland 
und  den  Vereinigten  Niederlanden.  4  vols.  Hanover  :  1815-20.  8vo. 

FLODING  (P.).  Handlingar  vorande  en  ny  upfmning  i  Gravuren.  Stockholm  :  1766. 
4to. 

FI.OUHOFFER  (Ludwig.)    Ueber  das  Studium  der  Kupferstecherey.     Svo.     1781. 

FRANCOIS  (Jean  Charles).  Lettre  de  M.  Fran9ois, graveur  des  dessins  du  cabinet  du 
roi.  .  .  .  a  M.  Saverien  sur  1'Utilite  du  Dessin  et  sur  la  Gravure  dans  le  gout 
du  crayon.  Paris  :  1760.  8vo 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


323 


FRANCOIS.  Au  Sujet  du  nouveau  Mode  de  Gravure  inventfe  par  J.  C.  F.  An  article 
in  the  "  Registres  de  1'Academie  Royal  de  Peinture  et  de  Sculpture,"  26th  March, 
1757,  and  again  26th  Nov.,  1757. 

FRAUENLOB  (Rudolph).      Die  graphischen    Kiinste   auf   der   Pariser  Ausstellung. 
Separatabdruck  aus  dem  k.  k.  officiellen  Ausstellungsberichte.      Wien  :    1868. 
8vo.  pp.  iv.  68. 
A  special  edition  of  the  Report  on  the  Graphic  Arts  at  the  Paris  Exhibition,  1867. 

FUESSLI  (Joh.  Caspar).  Raisonirendes  Verzeichniss  der  vornehmsten  Kupferstecher 
und  ihrer  Werke.  Zurich  :  1771.  Svo.  pp.  360  and  12  pp.  of  Register. 

GALICHON  (Emile).  Albert  Durer,  sa  Vie  et  ses  CEuvres.  Paris  :  1861.  Svo,  pp.  84. 
Woodcuts. 

Reprint  from  the  Gazette  des  Beaux-Arts. 

GALIMARD  (Aug.).  Les  grands  Artistes  contemporains.  Aubry-Lecomte,  dessina- 
teur-lithographe,  1797-1858.  Paris:  1859.  8vo,  pp.  24. 

GANDELLINI  (Giovanni  Gori).  Notizie  Istoriche  degl'  Intagliatori.  3  vols.  Siena: 
1771.  8vo. Siena  :  1808.  Svo. 

GANDELLINI.  Notizie  degl'  Intagliatori,  raccolte  da  varj  scrittori  ed  aggiunte  a  G.  G. 
Gandellini  dal  Luigi  de  Angelis.  12  vols.  Siena:  1808-16.  8vo. 

GARZONUS  (Thomas).  Piazza  Universale,  das  ist  Allgemeine  Schauplatz  oder  Markt 
und  Zusammenktinfte  aller  Professionen,  Klinsten,  Geschafften,  HSnseln  und 
Handwercken  in  der  gantzen  Welt,  wann,  und  von  wemste  erfunden,  zugenom- 
men,  verbessert,  etc.  Frankfort :  1626.  Folio. 

GATTEAUX.     Considerations  sur  la  Gravure  en  Taille-douce  et  sur  Gerard  Audran. 

[Paris  :]  1850.    410. 
This  notice  was  reprinted  in  the  A  rtiste,  for  January,  1851. 

GAUCHER  (Charles  Etienne).  Essai  sur  1'Origine  et  les  Avantages  de  la  Gravure,  lu 
a  la  Seance  publique  de  la  Societe  libre  des  Sciences,  Arts,  et  Belles-Lettres  de 
Paris,  le  9  vendemiaire  de  1'an  VI.  [Paris.  1805.]  410. 

GAUCHER  (C.  E.)  Lettre  iM.  Quatremere  de  Quincy,  sur  la  Gravure.  [Paris  :  1791.] 
12010. 

This  writer  contributed  the  article,  considered  a  Charles  Etienne  Gaucher  was  a  French  engraver 
very  valuable  one,  on  "  Engravers,"  in  Fontenay's  and  man  of  letters.  He  was  born  at  Paris,  1740, 
"  Dictionary  of  Artists,"  1770.  where  he  died,  1804. 

GAUTIER.  Lettre  concernant  le  nouvel  art  de  Graver  ct  d'Imprimer  les  Tableaux. 
Paris  :  1749.  I2mo,  pp.  xvi.  22,  and  colored  plates. 

GAUTIER.  Lettre  a  1'Auteur  du  Mercure  sur  1'Invention  et  1'Utilite  de  1'Art  d'im- 
primer  les  Tableaux.  [Paris  :]  1756.  I2mo. 

GAUTIER.  Seconde  Lettre  a  1'Auteur  de  Mercure  sur  1'Invention  et  1'Utilite  de  1'Art 
d'imprimer  les  Tableaux,  et  Rcponse  &  celle  de  M.  Robert.  [Paris  :  1756.] 
I2mo. 


3*4  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

GEHRKEN  (Dr.  F.  J.).  Heinrich  Aldegraver,  Goldschmied,  Maler,  Kupferstecher, 
und  Pragschneider,  biographisch  und  kunsthistorisch  dargestellt.  Mdnster : 
1841.  8vo. 

GESCHICHTLICHE  Uebersicht  der  Kupferstechkunst.     3  parts.     Leipzig  :  1841.     8vo. 

GILKS  (Thomas).      The  Art  of  Wood-Engraving.      A  Practical  Handbook.      With 

numerous  illustrations  by  the  Author.    2d  edition.     London  :  1867.    8vo,  pp.  84. 

Mr.  Thomas  Gilks  was  a  practical  wood-engraver     pletely  explains  the  different  processes  involved  in 

of  reputation.     He  died  in  June,  1877.     This  work,     wood-engraving,  describes  the  tools  and  materials 

which  forms  one  of  a  series  of  books  on  art,  pub-      used,  the  mode  of  using  the  graver,  preparation  of 

lished  by  Winsor  &  Newton,  Rathbone  Place,  com-     the  wood,  the  jointed  and  amalgamated  blocks,  etc. 

GILKS  (Thomas).  A  Sketch  of  the  Origin  and  Progress  of  the  Art  of  Wood-Engrav- 
ing. London  :  1868.  8vo. 

A  rSsumS  of  the  history  of  wood-engraving,  from  its  origin  down  to  our  times,  full  of  accurate  infor- 
mation  and  with  excellent  illustrations. 

GILLOT  (Veuve  et  Fils).  Album  de  Gravure  Paniconographique  et  Photogravure. 
Paris  :  1875.  Oblong  410. 

GOBIN  (Henri).  Etude  sur  la  Gravure.  [Nos.  26  and  27  of  "  Eludes  sur  1'Exposition 
de  1867,  publiees  sous  la  direction  d'  E.  Lacroix."]  Paris  :  1868.  8vo. 

GOULD  (John).  Biographical  Dictionary  of  Printers,  Sculptors,  Engravers,  and  Ar- 
chitects, from  the  earliest  ages  to  the  present  time.  2  vols.  London :  1838. 
I2mo. 

GRANGER  (James)  and  NOBLE  (Mark).  A  Biographical  History  of  England  from  Eg- 
bert the  Great  to  the  End  of  George  I.'s  reign.  With  upwards  of  600  engraved 
portraits  by  Richardson  and  others.  5th  edition,  with  additional  lives  by  Caul- 
field.  6  vols.  London :  1824.  8vo. 

GRAPHIC  (The)  Portfolio,  a  selection  from  the  admired  engravings  which  have  ap- 
peared in  the  Graphic,  and  a  description  of   the  art  of  wood-engraving,  with 
numerous   llustrations.     London  :  1876.     Folio. 
The  description  of  the  art  of  engraving  is  very  meagre.    Its  facts  are  derived  from  Jackson  &  Chatto's- 

treatise. 

GRAVURES  DE  1468  (Les).  Les  Armoiries  de  Charles  le  Temeraire,  gravees  pour  son 
manage  avec  Marguerite  d'York.  Liege:  1877.  :6mo. 

GUETLE  (Johann  Conrad).  Kunst,  in  Kupfer  zu  stechen,  zu  radiren  und  zu  aetzen, 
in  schwarzer  Kunst  und  punktirter  Manier  zu  arbeiten.  Ehemals  durch  Abra- 
ham Bosse  etwas  davon  herausgegeben,  jetzo  aber  ganz  neu  bearbeitet  und  mit 
den  neuesten  Erfindungen  der  heutigen  Kunstler  beschrieben,  zur  Belehrung 
far  angehende  Kunstler  und  Liebhaber.  3  vols.  Niirnberg  und  Altdorf :  1795- 
6.  8vo. 

Vol.  I.,  pp.  xxii.  552  and  19  copperplates,  treats  of  plates,  of  the  After-Treatment  of  the  Plate  ;  Vol. 
the  Preparation  of  the  Copper- Plate  and  Art  of  En-  III.,  pp.  xxiv.  135,  13  copper-plates,  of  the  Print- 
graving  on  it  ;  Vol  II.,  8  leaves,  pp.  350,  2  copper-  ing,  Description  of  Presses  etc. 

GUTTLE  (J.  C.).     Kunst  in  Kupfer  zu  stechen.     8vo.     1795. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR  325 

HAMERTON  (Philip  Gilbert).     Etching  and  Etchers.    London  :  1868.     8vo. 

HAMERTON  (P.  G.).  A  new  edition,  illustrated.  London  :  1876.  8vo.  pp.  xxx. 
459.  12  etchings  by  the  Author. 

The  most  comprehensive  treatise,  practical  as  well  as  historical,  on  the  recently  revived  art  of  etching, 
by  one  of  its  acknowledged  masters. 

HAMILTON  (Edward).  A  Catalogue  raisonne  of  the  engraved  works  of  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds.  London :  1874.  8vo.  pp.  viii.  143. 

HAMMANN  (J.  M.  Herman).  Des  arts  graphiques  destines  a  multiplier  par  1'impres- 
sion,  consideres  sous  le  double  point  de  vue  historique  et  pratique.  Geneve  : 
1857.  I2mo.  pp.  xii.  489. 

HANCKWITZ  (J.).  An  Essay  on  Engraving  and  Copper-plate  Printing  ;  to  which  is 
added — Albumazar:  or,  the  Professors  of  the  Black  Art,  a  Vision  (a  Poem). 
London  :  1732.  410. 

HANDBUCH,  Praktisches,  zur  Kupferstichkunde  oder  Lexikon  derjenigen  vorziiglichen 
Kupferstecher,  sowohl  der  alteren,  als  bis  auf  die  neueste  Zeit.  Magdeburg  : 
1840.  Large  8vo. 

HANDMAID  to  the  Arts.  Vol.  I.  London  :  1764.  8vo.  Vol.  II.  Teaching.  .  .  II. 
The  art  of  engraving,  etching,  and  scraping  mezzotintos  ;  with  the  preparations 
of  the  aquafortis,  varnishes,  or  other  grounds,  etc.,  in  the  best  manner  now 
practised  by  the  French  ;  as  also  the  best  manner  of  printing  copper-plates ;  an 
improved  method  of  producing  washed  prints,  and  of  printing  in  chiaro-oscuro, 
and  with  colors,  in  the  way  practised  by  M.  Le  Blon.  London  :  1764.  8vo. 

HARTZHEIM  (J.).  Vitse  Pictorum,  Chalcographorum,  et  Typographorum  celebrium 
nostratium.  [In  "  Bibliotheca  Coloniensis."  Col.  Aug.  Agripp.:  1747.  Folio.] 

HASPER  (Wilhelm).  Galvanoplastik-Grtindliche  Anleitung  ftir  Buchdrucker,  Schrift- 
gieszer,  Kupferstecher  und  Holzschneider,  auf  die  einfachste  und  billigste  Art 
Typen  und  Kupferplaten  darzustellen.  Carlsruhe  :  1855.  8vo.  pp.  viii.  56. 

HAWES  (Stephen).  Bibliography  ;  or,  the  History  of  the  Origin  and  Progress  of 
Printing  and  Bookmaking,  embracing  the  various  substitutes  for  Printed  Liter- 
ature, the  Invention  of  Type,  Paper,  and  Printing.  Newspaper  and  Book  Pub- 
lishing in  all  their  varieties;  rare  old  Books  and  Manuscripts;  the  Discovery 
and  Progress  of  Engraving,  Lithography.  Photography,  Photo  Engraving.  Print- 
ing in  Colors,  and  a  general  review  of  the  Literature  of  the  day.  New  York : 
1874.  8vo. 

HEINECKEN  (Karl  Heinrich,  Baron  von).  Dictionnaire  des  Artistes  dont  nous  avons 
des  estampes,  avec  une  notice  detaillce  de  leurs  ouvrages  gravies.  Vols.  i.  to  iv. 
Leipzig:  1778-80.  8vo. 

The  publication  of  this  dictionary  was  arrested  at      death  of  the  author.     The  original  manuscript  is  in 
the  fourth  volume,  which  extended  to  />/-,  by  the      the  Library  of  Dresden. 

HEINECKEN  (Karl  Heinrich,  Baron  von).  Idee  generale  d'une  Collection  complette 
d'Estampes,  avec  une  dissertation  sur  1'Originc  de  la  Gravure,  et  sur  les  pre- 
miers livres  d'images.  Leipsic  et  Vienne  :  1771.  8vo. 

HEINECKEN  (Karl  Heinrich,  Baron  von).     Nachrichten  von   Ktlnstlern  und   Kunst- 


326  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR, 

sachen.     Two  parts.     Leipzig:  1768-69.     8vo.     Part  I.  pp.  xxiv.  436  and  index  ; 
Part  II.  pp.  xxxviii.  524  and  index. 

In  the  second  part,  pp.  85-240  comprise  a.  disserta-  subjects  intermingled  with  texts.     All  his  attempts 

tion  on  the  earliest  forms  of  wood-cutting  as  applied  to  cut  single  letters  at  Strasburg  proved  ineffectual, 

to  the  illustration  of  books ;  pp.  222-237  describing  and  brought  ruin  both  upon  himself  and  his  part- 

the  ''Speculum  Humana:  Salvationis,"  with  several  ners,  without  producing  a  clean  legible  leaf.     This 

facsimile  woodcuts  ;  pp.  241-314,  account  of  the  ear-  failure  induced  him  to  quit  Strasburg,  and  return  to 

liest    Dutch  writers   on    chalcography,   by   whom  his  native  city,  where  he  joined  Fust.     Here  their 

Koster  is  credited  with  the  invention  of  printing,  endeavors  were    crowned   with    complete    success. 

Heinecken  conjectures    that    Gutenberg  took   the  Heinecken  is  of  opinion  that  their  first  productions 

idea  of  printing  from  the  playing-card  makers,  who  were  taken  from  wooden  blocks, 
are  said  to  have  been  the  first  engravers  of  historical 

HEINECKEN  (Karl  Heinrich,  Baron  von).  Schreiben  an  J.  P.  Krause  fiber  die  Beur- 
theilungender  Nachrichten  von  Kiinstlern  und  Kunstsachen.  Leipzig:  1771.  8vo. 

Heinecken's  name  stands  deservedly  high  among  voted  the  whole  of  his  leisure  time  to  the  culture 

typographical  antiquaries.     He  was  born  at  Liibeck,  of  the  fine  arts,  and  his  collection  of  engravings  was 

in  1706,  and  died  at  Alt-Doelern  (basse  Lusace),  one  of  the  finest  to  be  found  in  Germany.     A  num- 

January  23d,    1791.      He  studied  law  at   Leipzig,  berof  most  interesting  articles  written  by  this  author 

afterwards  became  secretary  to  Count  Briihl,  minis-  will  be  found  in  the  Leipziger  Bibliothek  der  schoe- 

ter  at  the  court  of  Saxony,  and  was  entrusted  with  nen  Wissenschaften. 
the  execution  of  many  important  missions.     He  de- 

HELLER  (Jos.).  Geschichte  der  Holzschneiderkunst  von  den  altesten  bis  auf  die 
neuesten  Zeiten,  nebst  zwei  Beilagen,  enthaltend  den  Ursprung  der  Spielkarten 
und  ein  Verzeichniss  der  sa'mmtlichen  xylographischen  Werke.  Bamberg . 
1823.  8vo. 

One  of  the  best  German  works  on  xylography,  with  a  history  of  the  origin  of  playing-cards.     It  con- 
tains many  wood-engravings,  and  is  no\v  very  scarce. 

HELLER  (Jos.).     Das  Leben  und  die  Werke  Albrecht  Durer's.      Tome  II.      Bam- 
berg :  1827.     8vo.  pp.  viii.  945  and  2  plates. 
The  first  volume  of  this  work  was  never  published.     A  Supplement  was  issued  in  1831. 

HELLER  (Jos.).      Monogrammen-Lexicon,   enthaltend   die  bekannten,  zweifelhaften 

und  unbekannten  Zeichen  sowie  die  Abkiirzungen  der  Namen  der   Zeichner, 

Maler,  Formenschneider,  Kupferstecher,  Lithographen,  mit  kurzen  Nachrichten 

ttber  dieselben.     Bamberg:  1831.     8vo. 

A  dictionary  of  the  monograms  used  by  engravers  and  others,  including  those  known,  doubtful,  and 

unknown. 

HELLER  (Jos.).     Praktisches  Handbuch  fur  Kupferstichsammler,  oder  Lexicon  der 
vorzUglichsten  und  beliebtesten  Kupferstecher,  Formschneider,  und  Lythogra- 
phen.     2  vols.     Leipzig:    1823-25.      8vo.      Second   edition,   3  vols.      Leipzig: 
1850.     8vo. 
A  supplement  to  the  first  edition  was  issued  with  the  following  title  : — 

HELLER  (Jos.).  Lexikon  flir  Kupferstichsammler  uber  die  Monogrammisten,  Xylo- 
graphieen,  Niello,  Galleriewerke.  Bamberg  :  1838.  I2mo.  pp.  vi.  226. 

HELLER  (Jos.).  Versuch  uber  das  Leben  und  die  Werke  Lucas  Cranach's.  Bam- 
berg :  1821.  8vo.  pp.  xvi.  532,  with  folding  genealogy  at  page  36.  Seconde 
edition  augmentee.  NUrnberg :  1854.  8vo. 

Joseph  Heller,  a  German  writer,  born  at  Bamberg,  cities  and  towns  of  Germany,  Italy,  and  Switzer- 
on  the  22d  of  September,  1798,  died  in  the  same  city,  land.  His  productions  are  held  in  great  esteem  by 
on  the  4th  of  June,  1849.  He  visited  the  principal  those  engaged  in  the  study  of  the  fine  arts. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  327 

HENRICI  (M.).     Die  Kupferstecherkunst  und  die  Stahlstich.     Leipzig  :  1834.     8vo. 

HERLUISON  (Henri).  Artistes  Orleanais,  peintres,  graveurs,  sculpteurs,  architectes. 
Liste,  sous  forme  alphabetique,  des  personnages  nes  pour  la  plupart  dans  la 
province  de  1'Orleanais ;  suivie  de  documents  inedits.  Orleans :  1863.  Svo. 
115  copies  printed. 

HISTORY  and  Art  of  Engraving.     1747.     i2mo. 

HUDSON  (Thomas).  The  Cabinet  of  the  Arts,  or  a  complete  System  of  Drawing, 
Etching,  Engraving,  etc.  1803-6.  4to. 

HOLLOWAY.     Memoir  of  the  late  Mr.  Thomas  Holloway,  by  one  of  his  Executors  ; 

and  most  respectfully  dedicated  to  the  Subscribers  to  the  Engravings  from  the 

Cartoons  of  Raphael.     London  :   1827.     So  pp   (with  Appendix,  pp.  x.) 

The  first  great  work  on  which  this  celebrated  en-      "  the  splendid  press  of  Bensley."     Holloway  had 

graver  entered  was  the  English  publication  of  Lava-      the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  only  remaining  plate  of 

ter's   "Physiognomy."   a    work    containing    seven      the  seven  cartoons  of   Raphael  fairly  commenced 

hundred  plates,  and  extending  to  five  volumes  im-      before  his  death,  which  took  place  in  his  eightieth 

perial  410,  the  letterpress  of  which  was  executed  at     year,  at  Cottishall,  near  Norwich,  in  February,  1827. 

HOLT  (F.  H.).  Observations  on  Early  Engraving  and  Printing.  In  Notes  and  Que- 
ries, Oct.  3,  1868. 

HUBER  (Michael).  Manuel  des  Curieux  et  des  Amateurs  de  1'Art,  contenant  une 
Notice  abregee  des  principaux  Graveurs  et  un  Catalogue  Raisonne  de  leurs 
ouvrages.  9  vols.  Zurich:  1797-1808.  Svo. 

In  spite  of  its  imperfections,  a  very  useful  work,     the  ninth  volume  having  been  published  some  years 
but  seldom  met  with  in  a  complete  form,  owing  to      after  the  previous  eight. 

HUBER  (Michael).  Notices  genferales  des  Graveurs,  divises  par  nations,  et  des 
Peintres  ranges  par  ecoles.  Prec6dees  de  1'Histoire  de  la  Gravure  et  de  la 
Peinture  depuis  1'origine  de  ces  Arts  jusqu'a  nos  jours,  et  suivies  d'un  Cata- 
logue raisonne  d'une  Collection  choisie  d'Estampes.  2  parts.  Dresde  ct 
Leipsic  :  1787.  Svo.  pp.  xlviii.  701.  Allegorical  frontispiece. 
This  is  the  first  edition  of  the  more  generally  well-known  and  standard  book  01  reference  by  Huber 

bearing  the  following  title  :— 

HUBER  (Michael).  Handbuch  fur  Kunstliebhaber  und  Sammler  tlber  die  vornehm- 
sten  Kupferstecher  und  ihre  Werke.  vom  Anfange  der  Kunst  bis  auf  gegenwSr- 
tige  Zeit ;  chronologisch  und  in  Schulen  geordnet,  nach  der  frunzosischen 
Handschrift  des  Michael  Huber  bearbeitet  von  C.  C.  H.  Rost.  Bde.  6-9  von  C. 
G.  Martini.  9  vols.  Zurich :  1796-1808.  Svo. 
Michael  Huber  was  born  at  Frontenhausen,  Bavaria,  in  1727,  and  died  at  Leipzig,  April  t$th,  1804. 

[HuMWKRTj.  Abregfe  historique  de  1'Origine  et  des  Progres  de  la  Gravure  et  des 
Estampes  en  bois  et  en  taille-douce,  par  le  Major  H  .  .  .  .  Berlin:  1752. 
I2mo.  pp.  62. 

HUMPHREYS  (Henry  Noel).  Masterpieces  of  the  Early  Printers  and  Engravers.  A 
series  of  facsimiles  from  rare  and  curious  books  remarkable  for  illustrative 
devices,  beautiful  borders,  decorative  initials,  printers'  marks,  elaborate  title- 
pages,  etc.  London  :  1870.  Folio,  pp.  vi.  Si  examples,  and  Si  leaves  of  de- 
scriptive letterpress. 


323 


THE   PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


HUSSON  (F.)-  Eloge  historique  de  Callot,  noble  Lorrain,  celebre  Graveur.  lirux- 
elles :  1766.  8vo.  Portrait. 

IMMERZEEL  (J.).  De  Levens  en  Werken  der  Hollandsche  en  Vlaamsche  Kunstschil- 
ders,  Beeldhouwers,  Graveurs  en  Bouwmeesters,  van  het  begin  vijftiende  eeuw 

tot  heden.      3  vols.      Amsterdam  :    1842-43.      8vo.  -woodcut   portraits. De 

Levens.  .  .  .  van  den  vroegsten  tot  op  onzen  tijd,  door  Christian  Kramm. 
Strekkende  tevens  tot  vervolg  op  het  Werk  van  J.  Immerzeel,  Jr.  6  vols. 
Amsterdam:  1864.  8vo. 

The  standard  work  of  authority  for  the  lives  of  Dutch  and  Flemish  painters  and  engravers. 

JACKSON  (John  Baptist).  An  Essay  on  the  Invention  of  Engraving  and  Printing  in 
Chiaro-Oscuro,  as  practised  by  Albert  Dlirer,  Hugo  di  Carpi,  etc.,  and  the 
application  of  it  to  the  making  of  Paper  Hangings  of  Taste,  Duration  and  Ele- 
gance. Illustrated  with  prints  in  proper  colors.  London  :  1754.  410.  pp.  19, 
with  8  plates. 


This  is  an  essay,  not  written  ostensibly  by  Mr. 
Jackson,  but  by  some  one  else,  to  eulogize  the  in- 
vention of  "Mr.  Jackson,  of  Battersea.''  It  begins 
with  th«  somewhat  trite  observation  that  the  inven- 
tors of  particular  arts  are  those  who  draw  the  least 
advantage  from  the  discovery.,  and  that  a  whole  na- 
tion is  often  indebted  to  the  ruin  of  one  man  for  the 
subsistence  of  many  thousands  of  its  inhabitants. 
''The  author  of  that  paper-manufactory  now  carry- 
ing on  at  Battersea,"  says  he,  has  printed  these  sheets 
to  tnduce  gentlemen  of  taste  to  look  into  and  give 
vigor  to  "  his  invention  and  infant  art.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Jackson  has  not  spent  less  time  and  pains,  applied 
'ess  assiduity,  or  travelled  to  fewer  distant  countries 
in  search  of  perfecting  his  art  than  other  men,  hav- 
ing past  twenty  years  in  France  and  Italy  to  com- 
pleat  himself  in  drawing  after  the  best  masters  in 
the  best  schools,  and  to  see  what  antiquity  had  most 
worthy  the  attention  of  a  student  in  his  particular 
pursuits.  After  all  this  time  spent  in  perfecting 
himselt  in  his  discoveries,  like  a  true  lover  of  his 
native  country,  he  is  returned  with  a  design  to  com- 
municate all  the  means  which  his  ende-avours  can 
contribute  to  enrich  the  land  where  he  drew  his  first 

JACKSON  (John  R.).     On  Box  and  other  Woods  used  for  Engraving.     An  article  in 

the  Leisure  Hour,  January  gth,  1875. 

The  author,  who  is  the  curator  of  the  museum  at      the  utilization  of  various  other  woods  for  the  same 
the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens,  Kew,  gives  an  account     purpose,  there  being  a  deficient  supply  of  good  box- 
of  boxwood,  and  its  manufacture  into  blocks  for  the      wood, 
use  of  engravers.      He  offers  some  suggestions  for 

JACQUES  (Charles).     "Gravure  sur  bois."     Articles  \nLeMagasinPittoresque,  1852, 

pp.  188,  236,  292,  331,  372. 
JAKOBY  (Prof.).    Plate  Engraving  and  Printing  at  the  Vienna  Exhibition.   An  article 

translated  from  the  German,  in  the  Lithographer,  March  15th,  1874. 
JANSEN  (Hendrik).     Essai  sur  1'origine  de  la  Gravure  en  Bois  et  en  Taille-douce,  et 

sur  la  Connoissance  des  Estampes  des  XV  et  XVI"  siecles,  ou  il  est  parle 


breath,  by  adding  to  its  commerce,  and  employing 
its  inhabitants  ;  and  yet,  like  a  citizen  of  it,  he 
would  willingly  enjoy  some  little  share  of  those  ad- 
vantages before  he  leaves  this  world,  which  he  must 
leave  behind  him  to  his  countrymen  when  he  shall 
be  no  more."  The  "  discovery"  seems  to  have  been 
a  kind  of  color-printing  from  wood  engravings,  as  it 
is  stated  that  Albert  Diirer,  as  well  as  Titian,  Sal- 
viati,  Campagniola,  and  other  Italian  painters  who 
drew  their  own  works  on  blocks  of  wood  to  be  cut 
by  the  engravers,  practised  the  art  in  its  rudiments. 
It  is  claimed  that  this  is  an  "  art  recovered,"  as  no 
writings  are  to  bs  found  by  which  the  former  meth- 
ods can  be  ascertained.  The  essay  asserts  that  the 
prints  are  unchangeable  by  time  or  damp,  but  the 
copy  in  the  British  Museum  sadly  belies  this  state- 
ment. Every  leaf  is  stained  and  mildewed,  and 
some  of  the  prints  have  turned  to  almost  a  copper 
color. 

Savage  ("  Decorative  Printing,"  p.  15)  says  that 
"Jackson  began  at  Venice  in  1744.  with  the  publi- 
cation of  six  landscapes,  and  ended  with  printing 
paper-hangings  in  printing-ink — all  failures. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


329 


aussi  de  1'origine  des  cartes  a  jouer  et  des  cartes  geographiques.  Suivi  de 
recherches  sur  1'origine  du  papier  de  colon  et  de  lin  ;  sur  la  calligraphic  depuis 
les  plus  anciens  manuscrits  ;  sur  les  Filigranes  des  papiers  des  XIV",  XV",  et 
XVle  siecles  ;  ainsi  que  sur  1'origine  et  le  premier  usage  des  signatures  et  des 
chiffres  dans  1'art  de  la  typographic.  2  vols.  Vol.  I. — Paris :  1808.  5  leaves, 
pp.  iv.  404,  2  leaves  of  table  and  errata,  19  plates  of  nielli,  old  woodcuts  and 
engravings,  monograms  and  watermarks.  Vol.  II. — Paris  :  1808.  Large  paper, 
PP-  373- 

jEUNESSE(Aug-).  L'Art  de  Peindre  la  Parole.  Etudes  sur  I'lmprimerie,  la  Librairie, 
les  Cartes  et  Globes,  la  Fonderie  en  Caracteres,  la  Stereotypie,  la  Polytypie,  la 
Lithographic,  la  Gravure,  sur  bois,  sur  cuivre,  sur  pierre,  etc.  Par  MM.  Gobin 
(H.),  Jeunesse  (A.),  Kaeppelin  (D.),  et  Pieraggi,  redacteurs  des  Annales  des 
Genie  Civil.  Paris :  1874.  8vo.  With  cuts.  164  pp. 

JOMARD.     Rapport  fait  a  la  Societe  d'Encouragement  sur  les  Machines  a  Graver  en 
Taille-douce.     410.     Woodcuts. 

JOUBERT.     Manuel  de  1'amateur  d'estampes.     8vo.     1821. 

JOULLAIN  (F.  C.).     Reflexions  sur  la  Peinture  et  sur  la  Gravure.    Metz:  1786.    I2mo. 

KOBELL  (Franz  von).  Die  Galvanographie,  eine  Methode,  gemalte  Tuschbilder 
durch  galvanische  Kupferplatten  im  Drucke  zu  verviefaltigen.  Mlinchen  :  1842. 
410.  pp.  1 8.  7  plates. 

KOBELL  (Franz  von).  Ueber  die  Bildung  galvanischer  Kupferplatten,  vorzilglich 
zum  Zweck  der  Galvanographie,  mittelst  des  Trommel  -  A pparates.  (In  the 
Abhandlungen  tier  kon.  Bayer' schen  Akademie  der  Wissenschaften,  vol.  6.)  410. 

KRESS  (Georg  Ludwig  von).  Die  Galvanoplastik  fur  industrielle  und  kilnstlerische 
Zwecke.  Frankfurt-on-the-Main  :  1867.  8vo.  pp.  viii.  112. 

KRUEGER  (Julius).  Die  Zinkogravtire,  oder  das  Aetzen  in  Zink  zur  Herstellung 
von  Druckplatten  aller  Art,  nebst  Anleitung  zum  Aetzen  in  Kupfer,  Messing, 
Stahl  u.  a.  Metallen.  Wein  :  1878.  8vo.  pp.  vii.  142. 

LAB  ITT  K  (A.).     Gravures  sur  bois  tirees  des  livres  Fran9ais  du  XV*  Siecle.     Paris: 

1868.     410. 

A  series  of  fac-similes  of  wood-engravings  of  the   151)1  century,  with  some  valuable  typographical 
information,  elucidations  of  old  printers'  marks,  etc. 

LABORDR  (Leon  Emmanuel  Simon  Joseph,  Marquis  de).  Les  Dues  de  Bourgogne. 
Eludes  sur  les  lettres,  les  arts,  et  1'industrie  pendant  le  XV-  Siecle.  et  plus  par- 
ticulierement  dans  les  Pays-Bas  et  le  Duche  de  Bourgogne.  3  vols.  Paris: 
1849.  8vo. 

In  Vol.  I.  there  it  an  account  of  the  engravers  and  der  Goes,  and  Alart  du  Hameel,  1482.  In  the  third 
printers,  beginning  with  "  Laurent  Coster,  1425."  volume  are  given  the  illuminators,  writers,  copyists, 
and  ending  with  Wynkcn  de  Worde,  Matthias  van  publisher*,  bookbinders,  etc. 

LABORDR  (Leon  Emmanuel  Simon  Joseph,  Marquis  de).  Essais  de  gravure  pour 
servir  a  une  histoire  dc  la  grnvurc  en  bois.  Premiere  livraison  [all  that  was 
published].  Paris  :  1833.  Small  410.,  25  plates. 


33°  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

LABORDE  (Leon  Emmanuel  Simon  Joseph,  Marquis  de).     Histoire  de  la  gravure  eu 

maniere  noire.     Paris  :  1839.     Royal  8vo.  pp.  vi.  413,  and  leaf  of  table.     300 
copies  printed. 

This  volume  is  the  fifth  and  only  one  issued  of  a  sontt/  of  books  on  the  art  of  etching.     The  work  it- 
projected  series  in  eight  volumes  :  "  Histoire  de  la  self  consists  of  biographical  notices  of  engravers  in 
decouverte  de  1'impression  et  de  son  application  a  la  mezzotint,  with  fac-similes  of  their  marks,  and  an  ac- 
gravure,  aux  caracteres  mobiles  et  a  la  lithographic."  count  of  some  of  their  chief  works. 
In  the  introduction  there  is  a  good  catalogue  r.ii- 

LABORDE  (Leon  Emmanuel  Simon  Joseph,  Marquis  de).  La  plus  ancienne  gravure 
du  Cabinet  des  Estampes  de  la  Bibliotheque  Royale,  est-elle  ancienne?  [Ex- 
tract from  /'Artiste.]  Paris  :  18 — .  410.  pp.  9. 

There  are  four  fac-similes  at  the  end.  i.  The  St.  The  Marquis  Leon  Emmanuel  Simon  Joseph  de 
Bernard,  engraved  in  relief  on  a  plate  of  metal,  and  LABORDB  was  born  at  Paris,  June  12,  1807.  He 
bearing  the  date  1454  ;  2.  Copy  of  the  original  im-  studied  at  Gottingen,  and  afterward  travelled  ex- 
pression of  the  St.  Christopher  of  1423,  in  the  pos-  tensively  in  the  East.  He  subsequently  held  several 
session  of  Lord  Spencer ;  3.  A  fac-simile  of  a  copy  of  diplomatic  positions,  and  was  curator  of  the  antiqui- 
the  same,  made  in  1775  by  S.  Roland  ;  4.  The  Vir-  ties  of  the  Louvre  from  1848  to  1854,  and  director  of 
gin  and  the  child  Jesus,  an  ancient  engraving  cut  the  Archives  of  the  Empire  from  1856  to  his  death, 
on  wood,  and  preserved  in  the  French  Cabinet  des  on  March  30,  1869.  He  wrote  a  large  number  of 
Estampes.  works  relating  to  archaeology  and  art. 

LACROIX  (Paul),  FOURNIER  (Edouard),  et  SERE  (Ferdinand).  Le  Livre  d'or  des  me- 
tiers. Histoire  de  rimprimerie  et  des  arts  et  professions  qui  se  rattachent  a  la 
typographic,  calligraphic,  enluminure,  parcheminerie,  librairie,  gravure  sur  bois 
et  sur  metal,  fonderie,  papeterie  et  reliure  ;  comprenant  1'histoire  des  anciennes 
corporations  et  confreries  d'ecrivains,  d'enlumineurs,  de  parcheminiers,  d'im- 
primeurs,  de  libraires,  de  cartiers,  de  graveurs  sur  bois  et  sur  metal,  de  fondeurs 
de  caracteres,  de  papetiers  et  de  relieurs  de  la  France,  depuis  leur  fondation 
jusqu'a  leur  suppression  en  1789.  Paris :  1852.  410.  pp.  160,  with  19  plates. 

LALANNE  (Maxime).     Traite  de  la  gravure  a  1'eau  forte,  texte  et  planches.     Paris  : 

1866.     8vo.  pp.  106. 2me  edit.  nouv.   corrigee  et  augmentee.     Paris  :  1878. 

8vo.  pp.  xii.  112  and  10  plates.     17  copies  on  papier  de  Hollande  and  100  on 
ordinary  paper. 

LANCESSEUR.  Memoire  pour  les  graveurs  et  marchands  d'estampes  a  Paris  ayant  des 
fonds  de  planches  gravees,  centre  les  jurez  de  la  communaut6  des  imprimeurs 
en  taille-douce.  M.  Lancesseur,  avocat.  1734.  Folio. 

LANDSEER  (John).     Lectures  on  the  Art  of  Engraving,  delivered  at  the  Royal  Insti- 
tution of  Great  Britain.     London  :  1807.     8vo.  pp.  xxxviii.  341. 
This  book  is  printed  by  J.  McCreery.  Blackhorse  Court,  Fleet  Street. 

LANGALERIE  (Charles  de).     Notice  sur  1'art  de  nieller.     Orleans  :  1858.     8vo.     Cuts. 

LEBER  (C.).  Essai  d'une  pantographie  comparee,  ou  collection  d'estampes  originales 
de  toute  nature  et  de  toutes  les  ecoles  representees  par  leurs  principaux  maitres, 
et  comparees  par  epoques,  depuis  la  premiere  moitie  du  XVe  Siecle  jusqu'au 
commencement  du  XIXe,  pour  servir  a  1'histoire  de  la  gravure  par  ses  produits. 
[In  "  Memoires  de  la  Societe  Archeologique  de  1'Orleanais."  Tome  I.  pp. 
31-74].  1851.  8vo. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  331 

LEBER  (C.).  Histoire  de  la  gravure  par  ses  produits.  Catalogue  d'une  collection 
d'estampes  originates  de  tout  nature  et  de  toutes  les  ecoles,  repr6sentes  par 
leurs  maitres  et  compares  par  epoque,  depuis  la  ie  moitie  du  XV*.  Siecle 
jusqu'au  commencement  du  XIX6.,  suivie  des  proced6s  employes  pour  graver 
et  pour  nettoyer  les  estampes.  Orleans  .  1872.  410.  pp.  39. 

LENORMANT  (Ch.  M.).     Les  Johannot.     Paris  :  1858.     In-8. 

LKPPEL  (Guilliaume  de  L.).  Ouvre  de  Claude  Gelee,  dit  le  Lorrain  J.  Dresde  : 
1806.  In-8  fig. 

LEPRINCE  (J.  Bpt.).  Decouverte  d'un  precede  de  gravure  en  lavis.  [A  prospectus.] 
1780.  410. 

LIPOWSKY.     Baierisches  Kunstler  lexicon.     8vo.     1810. 

LOEDEL  (Johann  Heinrich).  Des  Strassburger  Malers  und  Formschneiders  Johann 
Wechtlin,  genaant  Pilgrim,  Holzschnitte  in  Clair-Obscur  in  Holz  nachgeschnit- 
ten.  Leipzig:  1863.  410. 

LOMBARD  (Lambert).  Lettre  a  Vasari.  Notes  sur  la  premier  ecole  de  gravure. 
Liege  :  1874.  8vo.  pp.  146. 

LONGHI  (G.).  La  Calcografia  propriamente  detta,  ossia  1'Arte  d'Incidere  in  rame 
coll'  acqua  forte,  col  bulino,  e  colla  punta.  Vol.  I.  concernante  la  Teorica  dell' 
Arte.  Milano  :  1833.  8vo.  All  that  was  published. 

LONGHI  (Guiseppe).  Die  Kupferstecherei,  oder  die  Kunst  in  Kupfer  zu  stechen  und 
zu  atzen.  ir  Theoret.  Theil  von  J.  Longhi  aus  den  Italien,  Uberstezt  von  C. 
Barth  ;  2°  Praktischer  Theil  von  C.  Barth.  Hildburghausen  :  1837.  8vo. 

LUEDEMANN  (W.).     Gesch-der  Kupferstechkunst.     8vo.     1828. 

MALASPINA  DI  SANNAZARO  (M.).  Catalogue  di  un  raccotta  di  stampe  antiche.  8vo. 
1824. 

M.  DE  M.     Idee  de  la  gravure.     s.  1.  ni  d.     In-12. 

MARCENAY  DE  GHUY  (M.de).  Idee  dc  la  gravure.  Paris:  1764.  In-4  de  16  et  10 
pag. 

MAROI.I.ES  (Michel  de),  abbe  de   Villeloin.       Le  Livre  des   Peintres  et  Graveurs. 
Nouvelle  edition  revue  par  G.  D.     Paris:  1855.     I2mo.  pp.  in. Second  edi- 
tion, Paris  :   1872.  with  new  biographical,  critical,  and  other  notes. 
The   Aimfc    MAROLLBS  wax  in  hit  day  a  ditlin-      M.  Duplessis,  whose  identity  is  indicated  by  the  int- 
guished   litterateur  and   collector  of   prints.     He      tials  on  the  title-page,  has  reprinted  several  of  these 
wrote  a  number  of  poetical  eulogies  on  different  en-      in  the  above  little  volume  (which  forms  one  of  the 
graven,  painters,  sculptors,  etc.,  some  of  them  dis-      "  Bibliolhccjue   Klxeviricnne"),   along  with  various 
playing  great    liicr.iry  ability,   and   others  a   deep      prose  piece*  on  the  same  subject. — Stt  DurLBSSis. 
knowledge  of  the  hi-tory  of  the  chalcographic  art. 

MARTIAL  (A.  P.).  Nouveau  traite  de  la  Gravure  &  1'cau  forte.  Paris:  1873.  8vo. 
With  13  engravings. 


332      .  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

MARTIAL  (A.  P.).     Lettre  sur  les  elements  de  la  Gravure  a  1'eau-forte.     Paris  :  1864. 

MASSON  (Georges).     Les  arts  graphiques  a  1'Exposition  de  Vienne,  1873  (Groupe 
xii.) :  imprimerie  et  librairie,  lithographic,  gravure  en  taille-douce,  sur  bois,  etc. 
Paris  :  1875.     8vo.     pp.  140,  2  leaves. 
Reprint  of  the  report  published  by  the  "Com mission  supericure." 

MEADOWS  (Robert  Mitchell).  Three  Lectures  on  Engraving,  delivered  at  the  Surrey 
Institution  in  1809.  London:  1811.  8vo.  With  a  preface  by  J.  H. 

MEAUME  (Edouard).  Recherches  sur  la  vie  et  les  Ouvrages  des  Jacques  Callot, 
suite  au  Peintre-Graveur  Fran9ais  de  R.  Dumesnil.  2  vols.  Nancy:  1860. 
8vo. 

MEYNIER  (J.  Ch.).  Anleitung  zur  Aelzkunst  besonders  in  Crayon — und  Tuschma- 
nier.  Hof :  1804.  8vo.  With  twelve  tables. 

MILLIN.     Diet  des  Beaux-Arts.    8vo.     1806. 

MONNIN.  De  la  Gravure.  (Articles  in  the  February,  March,  and  April  numbers  of 
the  Annales  des  Arts.)  Paris  :  1818.  8vo. 

MORITZ  (Henrici).     Die  Kupferstechkunst  und  der  Stahlstich.     8vo.     1834. 

MURR  (Christoph  Gottlieb  von  de).  Bibliotheque  de  Peinture,  de  sculpture,  et  de 
Gravure.  Frankfort  and  Leipzig  :  1770.  2  vols.  I2mo. 

NAGLER  (G.  K.).  Nencs  allgemeines  Ktinstler-Lexikon,  oder  Nachrichten  von  dem 
leben  und  den  Werken  der  Maler,  Bildhauer,  Baumeister,  Kupferstecher, 
Formschneider,  Lithographen,  Zeichner,  Medailleure,  Elfenbeinar  beiter,  etc. 
22  vols.  Munchen  :  1835-52.  8vo. 

NARREY  (Charles).  Albert  Durer  a  Venise  et  dans  les  Pays-Bas.  Autobiographic, 
Lettres,  Journal  de  Voyages,  Papiers  divers  Traduits  de  1'Allemand  avec  des 
Notes  et  une  Introduction.  Paris :  1866.  410,  pp.  164,  27  engravings  on  India 
paper. 

NAUMANN  (Rob.).  Archiv  fiir  die  Zeichnenden  Kunste  mil  besonderer  Beziehung 
auf  Kupferstecher — und  Holz-Geschichte.  Leipzig  :  1855.  8vo. 

NIEPCE  DE  ST.  VICTOR  (Claude).  La  Gravure  heliographique  sur  acier  et  sur  verre. 
Paris  :  1856.  8vo. 

OFFARD  (C.  H.).     Notice  historique  sur  laet  de  la  gravure.     8vo.     1804. 

OTTLEY  (William  Young).  An  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  and  Early  History  of  Engrav- 
ing upon  Copper  and  in  Wood.  With  an  account  of  Engravers  and  their  works 
from  the  Invention  of  Chalcography  by  Maso  Finiguerra,  to  the  time  of  Marc 
Antonio  Raimondi.  2  vols.  London  :  1816.  410. 

OTTLEY  (W.  Y.).  129  Fac-similes  of  Scarce  and  Curious  Prints  Illustrative  of  the 
History  of  Engraving.  London  :  1828.  410- 

PAPILLON  (J.  M.).     Traite  Historique  et  Pratique  de  la  Gravure  en  Bois,  ouvrage. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 


333 


enrichi  des  plus  folis  morceaux  de  sa  composition  et  de  sa  Gravure.     3  vols. 
Paris  :   1766.     8vo. 

PARKES  (Mrs.  Mary).  The  Electrotype,  as  misapplied  to  Engraving  in  the  National 
Art-Union.  A  letter  to  Mr.  Moon,  of  Threadneedle  Street,  London :  1842. 
8vo. 

PARTINGTON  (C.  F.).  The  Engravers'  Complete  Guide,  comprising  the  theory  and 
practice  of  Engraving,  with  its  modern  improvements,  in  steel  plates,  litho- 
graphy, etc.  London  :  1825.  8vo. 

PASSAVANT  (Johann  David).  Lepeintre-Gravure,  contenant  1'historie  de  la  Gravure 
sur  jbois,  sur  metal,  et  au  burin  proque  vers  la  fin  du  16*  Siecle,  1'histoire  du 
nielle,  etc.  6  vols.  Leipzig  :  1860-64.  Royal  8vo. 

PERNETY  (A.  J.).     Dictionnaire  de  Peinture,  Sculpture  et  Gravure.     1757.     8vo. 

PERROT  (A.  M.).  Manuel  de  Graveure,  on  harte  complet  de  1'art  de  la  gravure  en 
tous  genres  d'apres  les  renseignemens  fournis  par  plusieurs  artistes.  Paris : 
1830.  8vo.  Plates. 

POELITZ  (K.  H.  L.).     Die  Aesthetilz  fur  gebildete  Leser.     8vo.     1707. 

POUBLON  (P.  A.).     Projet  d'un  Institut  de  Gravure  a  Anvers.     Bruxelles  :  1802.     410. 

QUANDT.     Enteourf  einer  geschichte  der  Kupferstechkunst.     8vo.     1826. 

RAIMBACH  (Abraham).  Memoirs  and  Recollections  of  the  late  Abraham  Raimbach, 
Esq.,  Engraver,  Corresponding  Member  of  the  Institute  of  France,  and  Honorary 
Member  of  the  Academies  of  Arts  of  St.  Petersburg,  Geneva,  and  Amsterdam. 
Including  a  Memoir  of  Sir  David  Wilkie,  R.A.  Edited  by  Mr.  T.  S.  Raim- 
bach. London  :  1843.  Small  410.  [not  published].  Portrait  by  Freebairn 
engraved  by  Bates's  patent  anaglyptograph.  Pp.  viii.  203. 

REIFFENBERG  (Le  Baron  de).  La  plus  ancienne  Gravure  connue  avec  une  date. 
Bruxelles :  1845.  410. 

REIFFENBERG  (Baron  de).  Gravure  anterieure  a  la  plus  ancienne  connue  jusqu'ici  et 
qui  vient  d'etre  acquise  en  Belgiqu.  Article  in  "  Bulletin  du  Bibliophile  Beige," 
tome  I,  pp.  435-438.  Bruxelles  :  1844.  8vo. 

RENOUVIF.R  (Jules).  Des  Gravures  en  bois  dans  les  livres  d'Anihoine  Verard, 
maitre  libraire,  imprimeur,  enlumineur  et  tailleur  sur  bois.  de  Paris,  1485-1512. 
Paris  :  1859.  8vo.,  pp.  52,  with  two  large  plates  on  wood.  Only  200  copies 
printed. 

RENOUVIER  (J.).  Des  Gravures  sur  bois  dans  les  livres  de  Simon  Voshe  libraire 
d'Heures.  Avec  un  avant-propos  par  Georges  Duplessis.  Paris:  1862.  8vo.r 
pp.  viii.  and  23  with  8  vignettes. 

RENOUVIF.R  (J.).  Histoire  de  1'origine  et  des  progrt-s  de  la  Gravure  dans  lei  P«ys- 
Bas  et  en  Allemagne,  jusqu'a  la  fin  du  quinzieme  siecle.  Bruxelles  :  1860. 
Svo.,  pp.  317,  with  monograms.  200  copies  printed. 


334  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

RENOUVIER  (J.)-  Des  Types  et  des  Manures  des  Maitres  Graveurs,  pour  servir  i 
1'histoire  de  la  Gravure  en  Italic,  en  Allemagne,  dans  les  Pays  bas  et  en  France. 
Montpellier :  1853-56.  4to. 

RUEDA  (Manuel  de).  Instruccion  para  Gravar  en  Cobre,  y  perfeccionarse  en  el 
gravado  a  buril  alagua  fuerte,  y  al  humo,  con  el  nuovo  methodo  de  gravar  las 
planchas  para  estampar  en  colores  a  imitacion  de  la  Pintura,  y  un  compendio 
Historico  de  los  mas  celebres  Gravadores,  que  se  ban  conocido  desde  su  inven- 
cion  hasta  el  presente.  Madrid  :  1761.  I2mo. 

RUMOHR   (C.   F.   Von).      Hans    Holbein   der  jiingere   in   seinem   Verhaltniss  zum 

Deutschen  Formschnitteresen.     Leipzig:  1836.     8vo.,  pp.  iv.,  127. 
On  the  title  is  a  fac-simile  of  one  of  the  Dance  of  Death  series  of  woodcuts. 

RUSKIN  (John).  Ariadne  Florentino.  Six  Lectures  on  Wood  and  Metal  Engraving, 
given  before  the  University  of  Oxford,  in  Michaelmas  term,  1872.  6  parts. 
Orpington  :  1873-75.  8vo. 

SAINT-AVROMAN  (Raoul  de).  La  Gravure  a  1'eau  forte,  essai  historique.  Comment 
je  devins  graveur  &  1'eau  forte  par  le  Comte  Lepic.  Paris  :  1876.  8vo.,  pp.  115. 
Portrait. 

SALMON  (William).  Polygraphice  ;  or,  the  Arts  of  drawing,  engraving,  etching, 
limning,  painting,  washing,  varnishing,  coloring,  and  dyeing.  2  vols.  London  : 
1701.  I2mo. 

SCHELLENBERG  (Johann  Rudolf).  Kurze  Abhandlung  liber  die  Aetzkanst.  Winter- 
thur:  1795.  8vo.  Plates. 

SCHWEGMAN  (H).  Het  overbrengen  von  een  tokening  op  een  koperenplat.  Harlem : 
1793.  8vo. 

SCHWEGMAN  (H).  Verhandeling  over  het  gravuren  in  de  manier  von  gewassen 
tekeningen  of  acquatinta,  op  twee  verschillende  wyzen.  Harlem  :  1806.  8vo. 

SCOTT  (William  B).     Albert  Diirer,  his  life  and  works.     London  :   1869.     Svo. 

SCULPTURA  Historico-Technica  ;  or,  the  History  and  Art  of  Engraving.  Containing 
I.  The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Engraving  ;  II.  Of  Engraving  in  General  ;  III.  Of 
Engraving,  Etching,  and  Scraping  on  Copper  as  now  Practised  ;  IV.  An  Idea  of 
a  Fine  Collection  of  Prints  ;  V.  The  Repertorium  of  a  Collection  of  various 
Marks  and  Cyphers,  with  additions.  To  which  is  now  added  a  chronological  and 
historical  series  of  the  Painters  from  the  Eleventh  Century.  Extracted  from 
Baldinucci,  Florent  le  Compte,  Faithorne,  the  Abeccdario  Pittorico,  and  other 
authors.  With  copper  plates.  The  fourth  edition.  London  :  1770,  cr.  Svo. 

SEROUX  (d'Agincourt).     Hist,  de  1'Art.     Folio.     1811-20. 

SIMONEAU  (Louis).  Recueil  d'Estampes  gravees  en  taille  douce  pour  servir  a 
1'histoire  de  1'art  de  I'lmprimerie  et  de  Gravure.  1694.  Folio. 

SINGER  (Samuel  Weller).  Researches  into  the  History  of  Playing  Cards.  With  Illus- 
trations of  the  Origin  of  Printing  and  Engraving  on  Wood.  London  :  1816. 
4to. 


THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR.  335 

[SPILSBURY  (F.)].  The  Art  of  Etching  and  Aqua-Tinting,  strictly  laid  down  by  the 
most  approved  masters,  sufficiently  enabling  Amateurs  in  Drawing  to  transmit 
their  works  to  posterity ;  or  as  amusements  among  their  circle  of  friends.  To 
which  is  added  the  most  useful  liquid  colors,  well  adapted  for  staining  and 
coloring  the  above,  etc.,  etc.,  with  a  specimen  of  Landscape  and  Profile,  by  F. 
Yrubslips.  London  :  1794.  I2mo. 

STAPART.  L'art  de  Graver  au  pinceau,  nouvelle  methode  qu'on  peut  excecuter  sans 
avoir  1'habitude  au  burin.  Paris  :  1773.  I2mo. 

STRUTT  (Joseph).  A  Biographical  Dictionary,  containing  an  Historical  Account  of 
all  the  Engravers  from  the  earliest  Period  of  the  Art  of  Engraving  to  the  present 
time,  and  a  short  list  of  the  most  esteemed  works  with  the  cypher,  monograms, 
and  particular  marks  used  by  each  master,  accurately  copied  from  the  originals 
and  properly  explained.  2  vols.  London  :  1785-6.  410. 

SULZER  (J.  G).  Allgemeine  Theorie  der  Schoenen  Kilnste.  2  parts.  Biel  :  1779. 
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TER  BRUGGEN  (Edouard).  Histoire  metallique  et  histoire  de  la  Gravure  d'Anvers, 
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THAUSING  (Moriz).  Dtirer,  Geschichte  seines  Lebens  und  seiner  kunst,  mil  Illustra- 
tionen.  Leipzig  :  1876.  8vo. 

THON  (Theodor).     Lehrbuch  der  Kupferstecherkunst.     1831.     8vo. 

TICOGZI  (Stef).  Dizionario  deg*li  architelli,  scultori,  pittori.  intagliatori,  etc.,d'ogni 
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TISSANDIER(G).  Histoire  de  la  Gravure  Typographique.  Conference  faiteau  Cerclc 
de  la  Librairie.  Paris  :  1875.  Imp.  8vo.  Reprinted  from  the  Journal  Central 
de  la  Libraire. 

TISSIER  (Louis).  Historique  de  la  Gravure  Typographique  sur  Pierre  et  la  Tissiero- 
graphic.  Paris :  1843.  8vo. 

VASARI  (Giorgio).  Vite  di  piu  eccellente  Pittori,  Scultori  ed  Architetti,  edizione 
arricchita  di  note  oltra  quelle  dell'  Edizione  Illu strata  di  Roma.  7  vols. 
Livorno  :  1767-72.  8vo.  Numerous  portraits. 

VASARI  (Giorgio).  Vite  de'  Pittori,  con  note  da  Bottari.  3  vols.  Roma  :  1750-60, 
Small  410.  Frontispiece  and  156  portraits. 

VERTUF.  (George).  A  catalogue  of  Engravers  who  have  been  born,  or  resided,  in 
England  ;  digested  by  Horace  Walpolc,  Earl  of  Oxford,  from  the  MSS.  of  Mr. 
George  Vertue  ;  to  which  is  added  an  account  of  the  life  and  works  of  the  latter. 
London  :  1794.  8vo. 

PORTRAITS.     Pp.  230,  and  two  leaves  of  index. 

VERTUE  (George).     A  descripiion  of  the  works  of  the  ingenious  delineator  and  en- 


336  THE  PRINT  COLLECTOR. 

graver,  Wenceslaus  Hollar,  disposed  into  classes  of  different  sorts  ;  with  some 
account  of  his  life.  Second  edition,  with  additions.  London  :  1759.  4to»  I'P- 
vi.  151.  Portrait  in  title. 

VOIART  (J.  P).  Eloge  historique  de  Claude  Gelee  dit  le  Lorrain.  Nancy :  1839. 
In-8vo. 

VOISIN  (A).  Josse  Lambert,  imprimeur,  graveur,  poSte  et  grammarien  Gantois  du 
XVI*.  Siecle  Gand  :  1842.  Royal  8vo.,  pp.  iv.  48.  Frontispiece  of  marks. 
Only  53  copies  printed. 

WALPOLE  (Horace).  Catalogue  of  Engravers  who  have  been  born,  or  resided,  in 
England  ;  digested  from  the  MSS.  of  George  Vertue ;  to  which  is  added  an  ac- 
count of  the  life  and  works  of  the  latter.  Second  edition.  Strawberry  Hill : 

1765.    410. 

• 

WEDMORE  (Frederick).  Masters  of  Etching.  A  series  of  Articles  in  "  Macmillan's 
Magazine."  London :  1874.  8vo. 

WILLEMS  (A).  Rembrandt  Discours  sur  la  vie  et  sou  g6ine  avec  ungrand  nombre  de 
documents  historiques  par  le  Dr.  P.  Scheltema  ;  revue  et  annote  par  W.  Burger. 
Bruxelles :  1859.  In-3vo. 

WILLSHIRE  (William  Hughes).  An  Introduction  to  the  Study  and  Collection  of 
Ancient  Prints.  Second  edition,  revised  and  enlarged.  2  vols.  London :  1877. 
8vo. 

WILSON  (Thomas).  A  Catalogue  raisonne  of  the  select  collection  of  engravings  of  an- 
amateur.  Illustrated  with  Etchings.  London  :  1828. 

WILSON  (Thomas).  A  descriptive  catalogue  of  the  prints  of  Rembrandt,  by  an  ama- 
teur. London :  1836.  8vo.  Portrait. 

WINTER  (Hendrick  de).  Beredencerde  catalogus  von  alle  de  prenten  von  Nicolaas 
Berghem.  Amsterdam  :  1767.  8vo. 

ZANI.    Enciclopedia  delle  belle  Arti.     1819.     8vo. 

ZANI  (Pietro).  Materiali  per  servire  alia  Storia  dell'  Origine  e  de'  progress!  deir 
Incisione  in  rame,  e  in  legno,  e  sposizione  dell*  interessante  scoperta  d'una 
stampa  originate  del  celebre  Maso  Finiguerra  fatta  nel  Gabinetto  Nazionale  de 
Parigi.  Parma  :  1802.  8vo.,  pp.  vi.  248. 


THE     END. 


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